Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said he still had no information Friday afternoon about a promised sweeping federal immigration crackdown that could potentially bring the National Guard to city streets.
Before what is expected to be a deluge of Immigration and Customs and Enforcement agents arriving in the coming days, Snelling again stressed the city’s police officers will not assist federal immigration authorities.
But still, even after President Donald Trump promised to target Chicago, Snelling said he could not predict what that action might look like. CPD, city and state leaders expect “some activity,” the superintendent said, but as of Friday, one possible start date for the federal effort, the government still hadn’t shared any plans.
“It’s important for me to make sure that we have some level of communication (with the federal government), because without that communication we’re going to continue to be in the dark,” Snelling told the Tribune in an interview Friday at CPD headquarters. “And as the head of the Chicago Police Department, the last thing I need to be is in the dark. The last thing our department needs to be is in the dark.”
The superintendent again reiterated that a person’s immigration status has no bearing on whether or not CPD officers respond to a 911 call.
“When someone calls for emergency services, someone is hurt, we’re CPD, we’re going to show up. That’s our job,” Snelling said. “Our job is to keep everybody safe: ourselves, our residents and anyone who’s visiting this city.”
“So does that include federal agents? Yes, we have to make sure that when we get a call of violence, we have to restore the peace,” he added.
In June, about 10 people were detained by ICE agents outside an immigration facility in the South Loop. Amid a clash between agents and protesters, CPD officers were called to the scene, but were not involved with detentions.
“Our officers in our department have proven that, number one, they understand the Constitution, they can respond to First Amendment activity with respect and professionalism,” Snelling said. “They’ve also proven that when things get out of hand and people start to commit crimes that, constitutionally, they can take people into custody and put an end to it quickly.”
Kennedy Bartley, the mayor’s chief external affairs officer, speaks with Chicago police officers, June 4, 2025, as they exit an Intensive Supervision Appearance Program office run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the South Loop. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Though CPD is barred from assisting ICE by the Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, the department routinely works with other federal agencies, especially the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The anticipated influx of federal immigration officers coincides with several large-scale events scheduled across the city, such as the Taste of Chicago, the first Bears game of the season and, next weekend, the El Grito Festival and Mexican Independence Day. Last week, CPD cancelled officers’ days off from Sept. 12 – 16.
Over the summer, Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. ostensibly to help tamp down the city’s violence. Snelling — noting that troops do not have the power to make arrests — said he’s spoken with officials in the nation’s capital who told him the Guard is “not performing any law enforcement tactics right now.”
The most recent threats and denigrations from Trump come as the city’s violent crime has fallen sharply. Through late August, the city had recorded 266 homicides, a 32% decline in killings from the same time period in 2024, according to CPD data. The Cook County medical examiner’s office, meanwhile, had recorded 276 homicides on the year in Chicago.
The city remains on pace to record fewer than 500 killings this year, a goal set last year by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
