An unknown male fired shots at U.S. Border Patrol agents in Chicago on Nov. 8, triggering a response from the Chicago Police Department, the latest in a string of reports of violence against federal agents as they enforce immigration law in the sanctuary city.

The Department of Homeland Security released a statement on X confirming the incident, stating that the suspect fled the scene after firing the shots near 26th Street and Kedzie Avenue. He was described as driving a black Jeep and remains at large.

It went on to note that “an unknown number of agitators also threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol’s vehicles.”

“This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction,” the department stated. “Over the past two months, we’ve seen an increase in assaults and obstruction targeting federal law enforcement during operations. These confrontations highlight the dangers our agents face daily and the escalating aggression toward law enforcement. The violence must end.”

The incident occurred in the largely Mexican neighborhood of Chicago called Little Village as part of the ongoing illegal immigration operation Midway Blitz, attracting protesters who blew whistles, honked horns, and yelled at federal agents.

Police said there were no reports that anyone was hit by gunfire and reported that one of its vehicles suffered windshield damage and a smashed taillight. Chicago police officers were also confronted by protesters.

The incident comes a few days after Judge Sara Ellis of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois restricted the federal government’s use of tear gas and other anti-riot measures during its immigration operations in Chicago, claiming that witnesses’ accounts of violence were not credible.

“The government would have people believe instead that the Chicagoland area is in a visehold of violence, ransacked by rioters, and attacked by agitators,” the judge said on Nov. 6. “That simply is untrue.”

She ruled that anti-riot measures would be prohibited “unless such force is objectively necessary” to prevent “an immediate threat” and that agents would still be required to issue two verbal warnings before using those countermeasures.

Her order also barred federal agents from using physical force against protesters.

The Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the government would appeal the decision and described the protesters as “rioters, gangbangers, and terrorists” who posed a threat to federal agents.

“Despite these real dangers, our law enforcement shows incredible restraint in exhausting all options before force is escalated,” the Homeland Security spokesperson said.

Joseph Lord and The Associated Press contributed to this report.