By rssfeeds-admin CHICAGO (WGN) — The federal government has prepped Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactical teams for deployment to Chicago, city officials have learned.
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s chief of staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, said Wednesday that federal agents were told they have 48 hours to “stand by and be ready to deploy.”
“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,” she said.
Johnson said he’d spoken earlier in the day with both Gov. JB Pritzker and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle about the notice and to ensure open lines of communication.
“It’s going to take all of us to stand firm, to ensure that our democracy is intact,” he said.
Earlier, Chicago police said that more than 15 people were taken into custody during a large Tuesday evening protest against ICE activity. In total, 17 people were taken into custody. Police said 10 of the arrests were for misdemeanors, while four were for felonies. One other arrest was for possession of paint or marker with intent to deface. Charges are pending against two others. The ages of those charged range from 20 to 37.
A WGN source adds that 10 Chicago Transit Authority buses and 13 police squad cars were damaged with spray paint during the demonstrations.
Johnson at his weekly press conference said the issues were “minimal” and that the city is well-prepared to handle such large gatherings. He added that while it’s important to allow Chicagoans to demonstrate, people still need to be able to get to get where they need and first responders must be able to respond to emergencies.
“We have a responsibility to both protect the rights of protesters, but also to keep our city moving, no matter the circumstances,” he said.
Authorities said a 66-year-old woman suffered a broken arm after she was struck by a driver at around 6:30 p.m., though police have not explicitly confirmed that the crash unfolded during the protest.
Johnson also had harsh words for President Donald Trump, accusing his administration of abusing the power of his office and trampling the U.S. Constitution.
“You’ve got to be sick and demented to do this to people,” Johnson said. “Right now, there is no checks and balances in our country.”
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