Lawrence Benito calls Villegas González’s death a murder
Executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
“Whether it be the apartment raids in South Shore, the shooting of Marimar Martinez in Brighton Park, or the murder of Silverio Villegas González, it’s been proven that ICE does NOT keep us safe - they are designed to intimidate communities of color and deport as many people as possible.”
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
The congressional press release compiles remarks from elected officials and immigration advocates calling for accountability and reform.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Benito joined elected officials and advocates calling for accountability for DHS conduct.
After the quotation
He urged local leaders to enforce protections for immigrant communities.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Was ICE justified in fatally shooting Silverio Villegas González?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
He explicitly labels the death a murder and uses it to condemn ICE’s conduct.
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Was ICE justified in fatally shooting Silverio Villegas González?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full case“In both cases, ICE has lied about the facts that led to these murders, just like they lied when they killed Silverio Villegas Gonzalez and shot Marimar Martinez in Chicago last year.”Read statement
Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus
“For eight long months, evidence suggesting this shooting was unjustified – from body camera footage contradicting the federal agent’s claims of severe injury to lack of evidence supporting claims that an agent was dragged – has circulated in the public sphere.”Read statement
Illinois Accountability Commission
“Federal agents shot and killed Villegas González without apparent justification as he drove away from them.”Read statement