NFL Legend Charles Tillman Quits FBI Job Over Immigration Crackdown: 'It Didn't Sit Right With Me'

Former NFL star Charles "Peanut" Tillman has announced his resignation from the FBI after seven years of service, citing concerns about the agency's Immigration crackdown.

Tillman said that he wanted to "be on the right side of history" and is uncomfortable with the Trump administration's policies, especially as they relate to immigration.

The Donald Trump government has garnered mixed reactions to its continuous ousting of illegal aliens by ICE officials, with the policy sparking protests in some states.c

Former NFL star Charles Tillman has quit his role with the FBI over his disagreement with the investigation bureau's immigration crackdown.

Appearing on "The Pivot Podcast" on Tuesday,  the retired cornerback, who had a successful football career with the Chicago Bears before transitioning to a career in law enforcement for the past 7 years, expressed discomfort with the Trump administration's immigration policies, saying he wants to be "on the right side of history."

"Some of the things they're doing I personally didn't agree with, [such as] immigration," Tillman said, per the New York Post. "I didn't agree with how the administration came in and tried to make individuals do things against their [beliefs]. . . . It didn't sit right."

''An example being immigration. Everybody was told, 'You're going to go after the most dangerous criminals.' But what you see on TV and what actually was happening was, people weren't going after that," he continued. "Personally, that didn't sit right with me, that didn't sit right with my conscience."

Elsewhere in his appearance on the show, the two-time Pro Bowler praised his "amazing experiences" at the bureau.

Tillman acknowledged that he's able to make the decision because money isn't a factor following his 13-year NFL career.

"I was in a different position because of my previous career. I made enough money to where I could just walk away and say, 'You know what? I'm good,'" Tillman said.

Tillman revealed that he refused the orders from his superiors at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., instead of the Chicago field office.

"That didn't sit right with my conscience. Like, you have the ability to refuse an order," Tillman noted. "Just because they say 'go arrest this person,' yeah, you're my superior, I don't have to go do that. You can't make me go do that. You know, I'm not in the military. You gave me an order, but I can totally refuse that order."

"At the end of the day, I want to be on the right side of history when it's all said and done," he added.

Tillman has always had ties to law enforcement, as he grew up in a military household and moved around while his father served in the army.

After retiring from the NFL, he enrolled in the FBI's training academy in 2018, as he had always nursed an ambition to follow in his father's footsteps.

"I always wanted to play football. And I said, 'Look, if football don't work out, Imma join the army. I'm gonna be like my dad," Tillman said, per the New York Post.

"I just always wanted to do public service," he said. "I wanted to do my part and serve. It wasn't in the military, but I did it in a different way by serving in the FBI."

Law enforcement launched a massive takedown of illegal immigrants in the Chicago area as part of "Operation Midway Blitz."

The immigration shake-up has sparked massive protests in the area, with over 200 protesters having to endure chemical agents and projectiles being hurled at them just outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility located in the Chicago suburb.

It remains unclear how many casualties have been recorded,  but the crackdown has seen one immigrant fatally shot by a federal agent, per USA Today.

Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin has labelled protesters "rioters," as well as tying them to a previous attack on an immigration facility in Dallas.

"Rioters are what they are," McLaughlin said, adding that a firearm was found on one protester outside Chicago. "This is just two days after we saw that vicious, disgusting attack on our facility in Dallas… and the fact that there's now a firearm or there was a firearm there in Chicago is very alarming."

However, protest organizers have denied that anyone connected to the group was armed during the protest.