Trump sending ICE tactical teams to Chicago, city officials confirm
City officials confirmed reports that President Trump is sending ICE tactical teams to Chicago, a move that precipitated massive protests in Los Angeles.
At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Chief of Staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas said the city has received word that the tactical teams were given 48-hour notice to "stand by and be ready to deploy."
"There will be tactical teams, mini-tanks, other tools they use in which they plan to do raids, as we saw in Los Angeles," Pacione-Zayas said.
The ICE tactical teams are heading to five Democratic cities, of which Chicago is one. The tactics they use sparked some of the recent protests in Los Angeles.
"With arms, with also chemical agents — we have seen them in full riot gear. We have seen them fully concealed," said Pacione-Zayas.
Mayor Brandon Johnson confirmed he had spoken with Gov. JB Pritzker about an hour before the news conference, as well as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and that he is working to coordinate with both the state and county about these tactical teams. They are keeping open lines of communication, Johnson said.
"It's going to take all of us to stand firm to make sure our democracy is intact," Mayor Johnson said.
An anti-ICE protest drew thousands to downtown Chicago Tuesday, and Daley Plaza is also one of the anchor locations for the nationwide "No Kings" anti-Trump protests Saturday, June 14.
The Trump Administration has been escalating its immigration crackdown across the country, and the deployment of ICE tactical agents in Los Angeles was an exacerbating factor in immigration protests. The Los Angeles protests began Friday evening, after dozens of alleged undocumented immigrants were arrested in Westlake, downtown Los Angeles, and South LA.
Since then, President Trump has ordered both the National Guard and the U.S. Marines to the southern California city, despite protests from both LA Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The state is now suing the Trump administration over its orders to "federalize the California National Guard."
"We have a tyrant in the White House who has a complete disregard for our Constitution," said Mayor Johnson.
Pacione-Zayas said the information about Trump's deployment of tactical ICE agents to Chicago has been "out there on official channels." Gov. Pritzker leaves Thursday for Washington D.C., where he will testify before the Congress about Illinois' sanctuary laws protecting undocumented immigrants.
