The situation in Chicago is deteriorating on an hourly basis.
Over the weekend, agents were boxed in just outside of the Windy City, and reportedly had their distress calls ignored by the local police department.
Now, reports are surfacing that a bounty was put on a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commander, to the certain outrage of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Early Saturday afternoon, reports surfaced that ICE agents had been boxed in by protesters driving vehicles and were effectively under attack.
According to sources, at least one vehicle was rammed, and an armed woman was among the attackers.
It was further reported that local officers were initially told to “stay put” rather than respond to the situation and were eventually instructed by the chief of patrol to leave the area, after which they were told not to respond to any calls.
Agents were forced to fire defensively, and they were eventually able to get out of the area with no agents harmed, while numerous arrests were made among the group of protestors.
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling did his best to defend the Chicago Police Department, but his claims did not necessarily mesh with recordings of the dispatch calls.
He outright denied claims that the chief of patrol told officers to stand down, but the dispatch logs dispute that assertion. His press conference was largely filled with his description of the rules of engagement for federal officers and for Chicago’s police officers, and he did not elaborate on allegations that his officers were effectively given a stand-down order.
A former high-ranking officer responded, "The facts -- radio tapes and the dispatch message screen -- speak for themselves. Snelling is in a tough spot, first dealing with the politics and the rhetoric."
Snelling went on to say that he would “never order officers to hold back” in this situation, but we are not talking about his conduct. I can appreciate his position, but I cannot stand the fact that he is blatantly lying to cover up for an officer who clearly told his officers to stand down. Not holding that officer accountable is unforgivable and will only encourage similar incidents in the future.
On Monday, federal agents in Chicago arrested a gang member from the Latin Kings who had been offering a cash bounty on Commander at Large of the U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino.
U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros stated, “Putting a price on the life of a law enforcement officer is an attack on the rule of law.”
He continued, “The defendant’s actions in this case demonstrate a profound contempt for human life and public safety. Under my leadership, the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago will hold defendants accountable for their grave criminal actions and ensure that no federal officer has to fear for their life for doing their job.”
The gang leader, who has been identified as Juan Espinoza Martinez, was reportedly offering the bounty on Snapchat, a popular social media platform. This is the point to which the country has devolved, thanks to Joe Biden’s loose border policies. He may be out of office, but it will be years, if not decades, before we repair the damage done over Biden’s four years in office.
