Federal investigators say the threats against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago have escalated into a coordinated assassination effort traced directly to Mexican cartel networks.
According to internal Department of Homeland Security intelligence shared with the Washington Examiner, criminal organizations operating from Mexico have ordered local gangs in Chicago to target federal officers, offering bounties ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 depending on rank. The information, originally compiled by the Drug Enforcement Administration, describes rooftop “spotters” in the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods who track ICE and Border Patrol activity using radios and armed lookout teams.
The intelligence report details payouts of $5,000 for field agents, $10,000 for commanding officers, and up to $50,000 for high-ranking personnel. DHS confirmed that the instructions for these bounties “were directed from Mexico,” underscoring how deeply foreign criminal groups are driving violence against U.S. law enforcement.
Last week, federal officers arrested Juan Espinoza-Martinez, a Latin Kings gang member charged with soliciting the murder of Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who leads operations across the Chicago region. Investigators traced Espinoza-Martinez through a Snapchat exchange offering a $10,000 reward “if you take him down,” with explicit references to the Latin Kings.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the threats “an unacceptable escalation,” saying the men and women of DHS and ICE “put their lives on the line every day to protect the American people and uphold the law.”
The Trump administration expanded immigration enforcement operations in Illinois this fall, deploying ICE and Border Patrol personnel after years of state and local resistance under sanctuary city policies. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem criticized Illinois leaders for refusing to cooperate with federal detainers, noting that Chicago police declined to turn over more than 1,550 illegal immigrants with criminal charges.
“The elected leaders in this state of Illinois are ignoring the law,” Noem said in August. “They’re being obstructionists when it comes to getting dangerous criminals off their streets.”
Since those deployments, ICE officers have faced growing hostility in Chicago. Protests have turned violent near the Broadview processing center, where rioters hurled objects and attempted to block ICE vehicles. DHS said the attacks are being fueled by online calls for violence from far-left agitators and gang associates.
Local officials are voicing concern over the deteriorating situation. Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, one of the few Democrats publicly condemning the city’s sanctuary policies, said the situation is “rapidly escalating.”
“It’s only going to end one way — with either gang members or an ICE agent being killed,” Lopez warned. “Immediate federal action is needed because this administration refuses to keep the community or our federal partners safe.”
Experts say the evidence points to a cross-border coordination between cartel operators and U.S.-based gangs. Joshua Treviño, a senior fellow at the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital that Mexican criminal organizations “have tentacles that reach deep into the U.S.” and are capable of carrying out foreign-directed orders.
“This isn’t just a problem of Mexico’s criminals,” Treviño said. “It’s a problem of its government. These networks couldn’t have grown without its complicity.”
The Mexican Embassy has not responded to DHS inquiries about the alleged connection.
Federal agents faced another near tragedy last weekend when a Border Patrol agent was targeted in a vehicular assault in southwest Chicago. The suspect, driving a black Chevrolet Tahoe, rammed an undercover ICE vehicle before fleeing on foot. DHS confirmed no officers were seriously injured, though tensions in the area remain high.
Treviño said that any assault on a federal agent directed by a foreign criminal group could warrant action beyond U.S. borders.
“If an agent is harmed in the U.S. by a foreign-directed network, America has every right to respond wherever those criminals are,” he said. “President Trump has made it clear: defending American lives comes first — no matter where the threat originates.”
