Nearly a month has passed since federal immigration agents conducted surprise check-ins in the South Loop, resulting in the arrest of at least ten individuals.
As city agencies continue to assess their roles in the investigation, it remains unclear who will take responsibility for determining whether Chicago police unlawfully assisted in these federal operations.
During a recent meeting of the City Council’s immigration committee, Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), who chairs the committee, emphasized the need for police and city officials to clarify their roles amid growing concerns about the potential violation of the city’s sanctuary policies during the June 4 arrests.
Despite the urgency, city officials struggled to identify a responsible party for the investigation.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), which is the city’s main police oversight entity, stated that investigating any potential police violations regarding the Welcoming City ordinance falls outside its jurisdiction.
“Whether we’re talking the Mayor’s Office, Chicago Police Department, the Office of the Inspector General, COPA, or Bureau of Internal Affairs, at this moment, 27 days later, there is no completed investigation that we know of,” Vasquez stated, expressing concern about the lack of oversight.
The interim chief administrator for COPA, Lakenya White, highlighted that these types of investigations should be the responsibility of the Office of the Inspector General.
According to White, COPA found two complaints regarding police officers potentially assisting immigration agents on the day of the arrests, but both complaints were deemed outside the agency’s remit.
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg added that under city code, complaints related to non-police officials should be directed to her office.
However, if the Welcoming City ordinance was indeed intended to include police actions, Witzburg argued that the language would not specify otherwise.
In response to the situation, Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd) stressed the need for clarity on how police are expected to respond when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are involved, especially given the heightened focus from President Donald Trump’s administration on immigrant communities.
Calls for an investigation into the police response on June 4 have been ongoing since the incident, with both Vasquez and members of the council’s Latino Caucus highlighting the situation.
Despite assurances of an internal investigation from police Superintendent Larry Snelling and the Mayor’s Office in prior meetings, no substantive updates were provided during the recent committee meeting.
City officials, including Garien Gatewood, the deputy mayor of community safety, did not reveal when the investigation would be completed or whether its findings would be released to the public.
During the surprise check-ins conducted at an ICE-contracted office in the South Loop, at least ten noncitizens were detained.
As news of the arrests spread, protests erupted, drawing attention to the situation and creating tense interactions between law enforcement and demonstrators.
Ald. Vasquez noted that this unprecedented incident raises critical questions regarding which oversight body should carry out the investigation and how police should act in the presence of ICE agents.
“It is our responsibility to clarify those things and figure out that protocol swiftly,” he stated.
Furthermore, White informed the committee that COPA had received two complaints related to the police assisting immigration agents but closed them due to jurisdictional limitations.
Witzburg reiterated her office’s commitment to ensuring transparency and accountability, stating that her office would guarantee a complete and fair investigation of the incident.
The Office of the Inspector General has the authority to review the findings of any internal investigations conducted by the police department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs or COPA.
However, if no police oversight body carries out a probe, the Inspector General’s office can initiate its own, albeit with less public transparency due to confidentiality rules.
Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th) voiced concerns that the Office of the Inspector General should not be responsible for the investigation, insisting that the public deserves full transparency regarding the events of June 4.
“We have for years been telling people that they are safe in the city of Chicago because we uphold the Welcoming City ordinance and yet we are sitting in this committee hearing debating whose jurisdiction it is to investigate this,” Fuentes lamented.
The immigration committee voted on an order requiring both the police department and the city’s department of emergency management to provide records pertinent to the June 4 incident, including police body camera footage and communication records.
This order still requires final approval from the full City Council before being enacted.
On June 4, Chicago police received three emergency calls related to the immigration arrests.
The initial call came from an ICE contractor, reporting a gathering of around 20 to 30 protesters on private property.
The second call was from the Crime Prevention Information Center, seeking assistance for federal agents who were reportedly surrounded by protesters, and the final call originated from a Department of Homeland Security official requesting help.
According to Glen Brooks, the director of community policing for the Chicago Police Department, officers were dispatched without knowledge that they were responding to an immigration operation.
Upon arrival, the officers assessed the scenario and requested reassurance from a supervisor, prompting senior officials to reach the scene.
Brooks asserted that police did not aid ICE agents, nor did they detain or transport any noncitizens that day.
Instead, he stated that the police presence was intended to ensure the safety of the public, including those protesting outside the building as part of their First Amendment rights.
However, some community organizers and residents raised questions about the police response, particularly regarding reports of officers blocking access to a nearby parking lot and being present inside the building where ICE was detaining individuals.
Immigrant advocates have since urged the city to mobilize all possible resources to protect residents from ICE activities and to formulate a comprehensive action plan against potential immigration operations modeled after tactics used in other cities like Los Angeles.
Fuentes also requested the release of body camera footage to clarify the interactions between Chicago police and ICE agents, emphasizing the importance of transparency regarding what transpired inside the office.
“We need to know what happened and who was conversing with whom,” she stated.
Overall, this unfolding situation not only reveals deep concerns regarding city law enforcement’s involvement with ICE but also highlights the pressing need for clear protocols that ensure the safety of immigrant communities in Chicago.
image source from：blockclubchicago
