Chicago Heights, Ill.: man in U.S. illegally arrested after dragging ICE officer with his car, DHS says

Immigration agents on Wednesday arrested a Mexican national who federal officials say dragged an ICE officer with his car while fleeing an arrest attempt in Chicago Heights, Illinois, south of Chicago, a day earlier, Fox News reports.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE officers saw Jose Garnica-Naranjo, 32, leaving a home in Chicago Heights on Tuesday morning and tried to pull him over. When he refused to turn off the engine, officers tried to remove him from the car. DHS says he then sped off "while an ERO Chicago officer was partially inside the vehicle through the driver-side window."

Officials say he drove over a raised, tree-lined median, throwing the officer from the car, and struck the injured officer as he fled. The officer was hospitalized with bruises, cuts and scrapes to his legs, with no broken bones, and has since been released. DHS says Garnica-Naranjo has prior convictions for domestic violence and assault.

"This is just the latest example of the staggering rise in anti-ICE violence, with our officers facing a more than 1,600% increase in assaults against them," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. He blamed "anti-ICE rhetoric from sanctuary politicians like Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker" and called on sanctuary officials to start cooperating with ICE.