Leaders of the Latin Kings, a Chicago street gang, have reportedly authorized a “Shoot on Sight” order against Customs and Border Patrol agents involved in Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the city.
On Sunday, News Nation correspondent Ali Bradley, who covers the southern border for the network, reported she’d obtained an internal CBP officer safety alert from her sources. She shared the document’s text on X.
***Officer Safety Alert***On November 8, 2025, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) received credible information indicating that Latin Kings leadership has authorized a “shoot on sight” directive targeting immigration officer/agents conducting immigration enforcement activities in support of Operation Midways Blitz in Chicago and surrounding areas.Officer/agents are reminded to maintain heightened situational awareness and exercise extreme caution when conducting enforcement activities.
The Department of Homeland Security responded to Bradley’s request for a comment with the following statement:
While we can not discuss operational details of intelligence, our law enforcement is now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them while they risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst. Nearly everyday we have seen violence, assaults, or smears against our officers in Chicago, including yesterday when agents vehicles were rammed multiple times and shots fired at them.
On Saturday, DHS reported that shots had been fired at Border Patrol agents conducting operations in Chicago. According to DHS:
An unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene. An unknown number of agitators also threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol’s vehicles. Chicago Police Department was called for assistance and cleared the scene. The shooter and vehicle remain at large, and this is a dynamic situation.
This is a major escalation. The situation is getting more dangerous by the day for ICE and Border Patrol agents on the ground.
During an early October appearance on Fox News, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem reported that “gangs, cartel members, and known terrorist organizations have placed bounties on the heads of several of our law-enforcement officers.” She added that specific officers and agents have been targeted with offers such as $2,000 to kidnap them and $10,000 to kill them, and that the suspects have circulated the officers’ photos through their networks.
She noted that protective details had been assigned to those individuals, and some operations had been altered to keep officers safe. Noem described the situation as dangerous and unprecedented.
In a post on X, she wrote, “These violent riots are not about free speech. This is the rule of law vs. anarchy. We will win.”
Days after Noem’s appearance on Fox, “federal agents arrested a Latin Kings gang member who allegedly offered $10,000 on Snapchat to kill Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino. The suspect also offered $2,000 for tips to help kidnap him.”
It’s likely that other Latin Kings gang members have been arrested which may be the reason for the “Shoot on Sight” order.
In early October, DHS reported they’d made over 900 arrests so far in Illinois.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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