Family of man killed by ICE agent near Chicago files federal compensation claim

Left · 2The family of Silverio Villegas González, a 38-year-old Mexican father, filed a claim for compensation against the US government on Thursday 8 October 2026, according to their attorneys, over his fatal shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent near Chicago. 1 2 Left · 2Villegas González was shot on the morning of 12 September 2025 in the Chicago suburb of Franklin Park, after he had dropped off his two young sons at school and daycare, during the ICE enforcement surge known as "Operation Midway Blitz". 1 2 Left · 2The claim is filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which gives the government six months to settle before the family can sue; the Act does not allow suits against individual agents. The family's attorney Jonathan Manes of the MacArthur Justice Center said it is the first formal step toward a federal lawsuit. 1 2

Left · 1Manes declined to say how much compensation is sought but said the family would ask a judge for a "very large amount of damages at trial", and said the administration's response so far suggests it will not settle. 1 Left · 2The claim says the shooting was "unlawful and wholly preventable". It cites the medical examiner's finding that Villegas González was shot downward through the back of his neck, which it says shows the officer was standing alongside the car, not in its path, and "effectively executing Silverio at close range". 1 2 Left · 2According to the claim, two ICE agents pulled a Jeep in front of his car and stood on either side, leaning on the window frames; he reversed about 50 feet and drove into the open traffic lane. Gunshots were heard as one agent chased the car, which crashed into a parked delivery truck. He was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later. 1 2

Left · 2Immediately afterwards, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Villegas González was in the US illegally, had resisted arrest and dragged the agent with his car, and that the agent, "fearing for his life", fired in self-defence. NBC News reports that no video from the time showed the agent being dragged, and the Independent reports that the agent told responding police his injuries were "nothing major", per police body-camera footage obtained by the AP. 1 2 Left · 2The claim says Villegas González had no criminal record and only a few minor traffic violations, and that the agent was not in the vehicle's path. Neither ICE agent wore a body camera, and DHS has not named the agent; Manes said, "There’s been zero accountability." 1 2 Left · 1The claim argues the shooting broke DHS policy, which NBC News says bars deadly force against people who threaten only themselves or property unless there is an imminent threat of death or serious injury, and says firearms should not be fired solely to disable moving vehicles. 2

Left · 1DHS did not respond to requests for comment on the claim, and it was unclear if it had received it. The Independent reports that Illinois State Police announced an investigation in May. 1 Left · 2The filing follows other cases of people shot in vehicles by federal agents: Marimar Martinez, who survived being shot five times in Chicago, and the family of Renee Good, killed in Minneapolis in January, have both sued after earlier tort claims. DHS has characterised such shootings as self-defence against drivers using vehicles as weapons. 1 2