Silverio Villegas González, who was killed by a federal immigration agent earlier this month, was honored Wednesday at a mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Melrose Park.
Attendees prayed for the family of the Mexican immigrant and his community as they mourned Villegas González’s death.
Parishioners at the western suburban church were joined by the Villegas González family and friends, spiritual organizations — the Scalabrinian Lay Missionaries and the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership – and community members.
Villegas González was fatally shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Franklin Park on Sept. 12. According to officials, he’d attempted to flee a traffic stop and struck an officer with his car.
Churchgoer Conchis Peña attended the mass with her children. She said the ceremony was emotional.
“So sad for his kids, his children, his family,” she said.
Churchgoers came to the mass having seen the video released by the Franklin Park Police department. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the agents involved weren’t wearing body cameras.
Footage shows two federal agents attempting to revive a man as another agent spoke over a radio saying injuries to his partner were “nothing major.” Following the shooting, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a statement saying the agent was “seriously injured.”
When Peña first saw the video, she said she felt that agents were lying about what happened.
“I think everyone kind of knew the truth,” she said.
Peña said this detainment incident was different because “a person lost his life, kids lost a father, a mother lost a son.”
Following the service, churchgoers exited to an outdoor vigil and protest in Villegas González’s honor.
Gabrielle Barber learned of Wednesday night’s event from a Facebook post. She says as a mother with children in the same school district as Villegas González’s, she attends every event in his honor.
“I try to advocate as much as possible for immigration reform, but this hit really close to home,” she said.
Protesters like Barber are still awaiting clarity on the identity of the ICE agents involved. She says community members have reached dead ends when escalating his case to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“We brought it to their attention. They sympathized and then said that they were concerned with the optics.”
The death has led to an outcry from some public officials. Governor J.B Pritzker called for a full account of what happened during the shooting, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the killing.
