An Illinois Democrat was filmed tearfully trying to stop ICE agents carrying out an operation in her Chicago suburb — which the head of the operation suggested Wednesday was proof she “needs some help.”
State Sen. Karina Villa went viral after being filmed running through West Chicago early Monday in red pants and high heels while yelling to locals to “stay in your cars” and houses.
“This is my city!” she told agents as she approached them in a car, sounding close to tears. “This is my city, that’s right!
“Take off your masks!” she then yelled repeatedly, before turning to the camera to give a breathless warning in Spanish.
Gregory Bovino, the US Customs and Border Patrol chief leading the operations in Chicago, told “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday that the Dem appeared unhinged.
“When I see this, I think she really needs to see someone,” said Bovino. “She may need some help.”
As for the state rep’s demands for his agents to remove their masks, she was missing how important they are to keep agents “safe,” Bovino stressed.
“With a 1,000% increase in assaults against federal agents doing operations such as this, I think it makes sense for these masks to be there,” he stressed. “There’s a reason for this.”
ICE, meanwhile, called it “irresponsible and dangerous for any elected official to flagrantly encourage individuals to disregard the law and interfere with lawful operations that protect public safety.”
Bovino announced Tuesday morning that “Operation at Large” — part of Operation Midway Blitz — had begun in Chicago, targeting illegal immigrants.
Bovino told Fox News that in the past week alone they’ve made “several hundred arrests” in and around Chicago. “And you’re going to see those numbers rise,” he said.
When asked if he’d take a call to discuss the operation with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzer, who has resisted ICE operations in his state, Bovino said he would “rather walk the streets with the governor.”
“He better put his walking shoes on if he’s got them in. Let’s take a walk and look at the streets and look at what these aliens are doing to Chicago and its residents,” he said.