ICE Tactical Teams Now On ‘Standby’ In Chicago

Amid protests across the country, Chicago is getting ready.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last week or so, you've seen the ICE protests going in in Los Angeles and by now, multiple parts of the country, including Chicago.

Chicago has long been a sanctuary city, with a "Welcoming City Ordinance" that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities. City officials and police cannot ask about someone's immigration status, share that info, or deny city services based on that person's immigration status.

Now, Chicago station WGN reports that the federal government has prepped ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) tactical teams for deployment to Chicago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson's chief-of-staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, said on June 11th that federal agents were told that they have 48 hours to "stand by and be ready to deploy". Pacione-Zayas said they will have tools used in raids:

There will be tactical teams. There will be mini tanks. There will be other tools that they use in which they plan to do raids, as we saw in Los Angeles.

In the hot seat in Washington amidst these protests are Democratic governors, including Illinois' governor J.B. Pritzker, who has been in "contentious" hearings about Illinois' sanctuary state status. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is also part of the hearings.

Tuesday night, Chicago police say that over 15 people were taken into custody during a large protest against ICE. 10 Chicago transit buses and 13 police squad cars were damaged with spray paint.

Mayor Johnson said that the city is well-prepared to handle large gatherings.