Trump's Chicago threats thrust police into center of immigration raids
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President Trump's baseless threats to jail Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have thrust law enforcement to the forefront of the battle over immigration enforcement in Chicago.
Driving the news: Trump's attack comes after a Chicago police dispatch call seemingly instructed officers to stand down after ICE agents called for backup as protesters surrounded them after they shot a woman in Brighton Park Saturday.
- CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling threw cold water on it earlier this week, saying the order was never given. Chicago police were confirmed to be on the scene.
- That didn't stop the Chicago police union's board from issuing a vote of "no confidence" against Chicago chief of patrol Jon Hein.
- "You can't be pro-police when you need something, and then anti when it's politically advantageous," Snelling said on Monday, blasting the police union for the vote.
The big picture: Trump's move to federalize the National Guard is attributed to protecting federal law enforcement agents.
- This latest controversy has given fuel to Republicans, who have already started using it as a campaign strategy against Pritzker.
What they're saying: "Federal agents were attacked, surrounded, and pleading for help, and instead of responding immediately to protect them, Chicago police officers were reportedly ordered to stand down," Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey said in a statement.
- Bailey said he would do it differently if he wins the 2026 election. "We will back the blue, enforce the law without fear or favor, and ensure that every officer in every jurisdiction knows that Illinois stands with them."
Between the lines: The GOP has seized on Pritzker and Johnson's anti-ICE rhetoric, calling it divisive, reckless and ultimately the reason agents are being confronted during raids.
- "Let me be absolutely clear; this crisis is not the fault of our officers," GOP Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison said in a statement. "It lies squarely with the command leadership following political orders, and the politicians who created this breakdown of law and order."
Yes, but: Is there a difference between federal ICE agents and regular law enforcement? Democrats think so.
- "We have a rogue, reckless group of heavily armed and masked individuals roaming throughout our city that are not accountable to the people of Chicago," Johnson said at a recent press conference.
Case in point: During protests at the ICE processing facility in Broadview, local police have complained that federal agents have not respected their authority, and in some cases, have been targets of pepper balls, tear gas and other anti-protest measures.
- Also, after Chicago police arrived in Brighton Park last weekend, they, too, were impacted by ICE's use of tear gas. Snelling said 27 officers were injured by the gas.
The latest: Johnson's push for accountability was reinforced by a federal judge's ruling on Wednesday, stating that ICE agents in Chicago have repeatedly violated the law by making "warrantless arrests."
The bottom line: While GOP candidates seem to see protecting law enforcement as a political wedge issue, it's unclear if voters agree that law enforcement and ICE agents are one and the same.