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The Department of Homeland Security said that “an unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene.” The Chicago Police Department said its officers “responded to a call of shots fired at federal agents” and helped secure the area, but the department referred other questions to federal officials.

No gunshot injuries were reported. Federal officials said a paint can and bricks had also been thrown at Border Patrol vehicles.

“This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction,” a representative of the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

The Trump administration has flooded the Chicago area with immigration enforcement officers since early September, part of a crackdown on illegal immigration and so-called sanctuary jurisdictions like Chicago and Illinois. Thousands of people have been arrested during the campaign, and two people have been shot by federal agents since it began. Agents have often clashed with protesters and bystanders, sometimes using tear gas or physical force.

Federal judges, local politicians and Chicago residents have repeatedly raised concerns about federal agents’ tactics and their use of force.

Earlier this week, one federal judge said that “the use of force shocks the conscience” and issued a preliminary injunction placing limits on agents’ actions. Another federal judge voiced concerns this week about what he considered “unnecessarily cruel” conditions inside an immigration detention center in the Chicago suburbs, and he ordered the government to make improvements.

Federal officials have defended agents’ tactics, saying that they have shown restraint even when facing threats. Officials have also disputed the claims of improper conditions at the detention center.

The apparent shots-fired incident on Saturday was one of several confrontations between federal officers and protesters in and around Little Village.

Michael Rodriguez, a Chicago City Council member, said he witnessed another incident on Saturday, about a mile from the apparent gunfire, in which agents detained someone and residents voiced anger over the agents’ actions. He said agents used a “flashbang,” sometimes called a stun grenade, as they were leaving the scene.

“People are terrified,” said Mr. Rodriguez, who said his son was competing in a chess tournament near where he witnessed the arrest. “They’re frightened for their lives. People aren’t shopping. People are staying home.”

Several businesses in Little Village have placed signs on their doors saying that immigration agents are not allowed inside. An employee of one pet store said that business was down, and that employees had started making deliveries to customers who were scared to shop in person. At a cafe, workers wearing whistles guarded the doors to ensure that federal agents did not enter.

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