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A U.S. Marshal and an illegal immigrant were both shot Tuesday in Los Angeles during an immigration enforcement operation, Fox News has learned.
Federal agents surrounded and boxed in someone in a vehicle. The driver allegedly rammed federal vehicles in an attempt to escape, sources within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) told Fox News.
“During a targeted enforcement traffic stop in the Los Angeles area, an illegal alien—who had previously escaped from custody—attempted to evade arrest yet again,” a Department of Homeland Security statement to Fox News Digital said.
Federal agents opened fire. One U.S. Marshal was struck in his hand by what initially appeared to be a bullet ricochet, sources said.
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The illegal immigrant was struck in the elbow. Both were taken to a hospital and were expected to survive.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Marshals Service, ICE and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Tuesday’s shooting came amid heavy criticism from Los Angeles elected officials over the Trump administration’s immigration raids in the region.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has called for a congressional investigation into the alleged unlawful detention of U.S. citizens and immigrants by federal agents.
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DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blamed officials in sanctuary jurisdictions for brazen attacks against immigration authorities in recent months.
“These are the consequences of conduct and rhetoric by sanctuary politicians and activists who urge illegal aliens to resist arrest. Resisting arrest puts the safety of illegal aliens, law enforcement, and the public at risk,” she said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our law enforcement officers are facing a more than 1000% increase in assaults against them including vehicle rammings by illegal aliens. We are once again calling on sanctuary politicians, agitators, and the media to turn the temperature down and stop calling for violence and resistance against ICE law enforcement.”
Last week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency because of the raids, saying the federal operations have caused fear and have forced businesses to shut down.
At a Monday news conference, Bass said that around 170 U.S. citizens have been detained across the country.
U.S. Repo. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., demanded that all records and documents related to the detentions be turned over. In September, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the immigration raids could resume after a brief pause.
“This decision is a victory for the safety of Americans in California and for the rule of law,” the Department of Homeland Security said at the time. DHS will continue to arrest and remove the criminal illegal aliens that @mayorofla is protecting.”
McLaughlin called out several officials, including Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for hosting webinars and providing resources and tips for how to openly defy ICE.
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