Community seeks clarity on CPD role in immigrant arrests during ‘routine check-ins’

CHICAGO (WGN) — Calls are growing louder for a closer look at the role Chicago police played during what were described as routine check-ins at local immigration offices that led to the arrest of at least 10 immigrants in June.

“Why were they there? Who or what were they protecting?” asked Nina Sedeño of the Latino Policy Forum.

“No CPD escort protected me when that van veered towards me and I narrowly avoided it by jumping out of the way,” said Carson Wang of Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

City officials told the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights that police initially responded to three 911 calls — one from ICE and another from the Department of Homeland Security.

“When officers responded on scene, they had no knowledge an immigration enforcement was occurring,” said Glen Brooks with the Chicago Police Department.

Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance prohibits CPD from assisting ICE with immigration enforcement. According to supervisors, once they realized what was happening, they left the building.

“We then moved outside the facility, and we provided public safety traffic control to ensure people were not going to be run over,” Brooks said.

In response, the committee passed an order requiring CPD, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Mayor’s Office to turn over all communications related to the police presence that day — including body camera video.

“The officers could have made every right call imaginable, but if you don’t have the evidence, the public may not have the trust of the department doing the right job,” said Ald. Andre Vasquez.

Nearly a month after the incident, which played out in front of WGN-TV cameras, no independent investigation has been launched.

“We should be ashamed of ourselves. Our families and our communities deserve better,” said Ald. Jesse Fuentes.

For now, there’s little agreement on who should lead that investigation.

“COPA determined investigating such matters could create a real or perceived conflict,” said LaKenya White, Interim Chief Administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.