The family of a Mexican father fatally shot by an ICE officer in a Chicago suburb last year took the first steps in a lawsuit against the federal government over misconduct they say led to his unlawful killing, according to the legal team representing the man’s estate.Silverio Villegas González, 38, died during a traffic stop on the morning of Sept.12, 2025, just after he had dropped off his 8-year-old son at school and his 4-year-old son at daycare.
The ICE officers who pulled Villegas over and eventually killed him were conducting immigration arrests as part of the enforcement surge in Chicago known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”The MacArthur Justice Center filed a complaint under the Federal Tort Claims Act on Thursday on behalf of Villegas’ estate.The complaint, which was obtained by NBC News, cites the medical examiner’s findings that the ICE officer was standing alongside and not in front of Villegas’ car, thus shooting him downwards into his neck.
According to the claim, this resulted in the officer “effectively executing Silverio at close range” and killing him “unjustifiably, unnecessarily, and contrary to DHS policy.” “There’s been zero accountability.It’s shocking.
It’s been more than a year, and we don’t even know the name of an ICE officer who killed a person on our streets.This is not normal,” Jonathan Manes, senior counsel at MacArthur Justice Center, told NBC News.
“So, we’re bringing this claim to demand accountability.”Emergency responders work to save Silverio Villegas González after he was shot in the Franklin park suburb of Chicago on Sept.12.Franklin Park PoliceThough federal agents cannot be directly sued, the FTCA claim allows private citizens to sue the federal government and seek damages.
The claim is the first formal step before filing a federal lawsuit in upcoming months against the U.S.over Villegas’ death, Manes said.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comme...