The nation’s largest police union sharply criticized the Chicago Police Department (CPD) over the weekend, accusing city leadership of abandoning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who were reportedly surrounded by protesters and in danger during a tense confrontation on the city’s southwest side.
Presidents of the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the Illinois State FOP said Sunday they were “shocked and appalled” by reports that CPD’s chief of patrol instructed officers not to assist the federal agents, despite apparent threats to their safety. The incident allegedly unfolded on Saturday after a vehicle ramming led to an officer-involved shooting involving an armed woman, drawing protesters to the scene.
“Details are still emerging, but it appears that officers from the Chicago Police Department were ordered not to assist a group of ICE agents while they were physically threatened by what appeared to be an angry mob,” National FOP President Patrick Yoes said in a statement. “Let me be clear — both the National FOP and the Illinois FOP believe that when an officer calls for assistance, you answer, no matter what.”
Yoes and Illinois State FOP President Chris Southwood condemned what they called a “failure of duty,” stressing that cooperation between agencies is fundamental when officers are in distress. “The number one unwritten rule in law enforcement is that we respond to any calls from officers in trouble,” Southwood said. “Whether you agree about immigration enforcement or not, when a law enforcement officer is in trouble, nothing should stand in the way of fellow officers rendering assistance.”
The unions also argued that Illinois’ “Trust Act” — which restricts local police involvement in federal immigration enforcement — is undermining trust and operational coordination between local and federal law enforcement agencies. They pointed to Department of Homeland Security data suggesting a 1,000% increase in violent incidents targeting ICE agents so far this year.
However, the Chicago Police Department disputed the unions’ characterization of events. In a statement issued Sunday, CPD insisted that its officers did respond to the incident to “maintain public safety and traffic control” and were present while federal authorities led the investigation into the shooting.
“To clarify misinformation currently circulating, CPD officers did in fact respond to the shooting scene involving federal authorities on Saturday,” the department said. “The Chicago Police Department will always respond to anyone who is being attacked or is under the threat of physical harm.”
The department emphasized that, in cases involving federal immigration enforcement, CPD supervisors are responsible for determining “the appropriate course of action in accordance with City law.”
But internal frustration appears to be mounting. Two high-ranking CPD sources reportedly told Fox News the department’s public statement was “not true,” claiming dispatch recordings show officers initially responded but were then ordered to leave. One source described CPD’s official response as “cover their [expletive]” rhetoric.
As of Sunday evening, city officials had not released additional information about the directive or clarified the chain of command during the incident. The controversy underscores the ongoing tension between local governments in sanctuary jurisdictions like Chicago and federal immigration authorities — and raises fresh questions about how far those policies extend when officer safety is at stake.
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