Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Thursday he will not direct his officers to obstruct a potential federal crackdown on the streets but expressed hope that some communication with his department could lower tensions in a city already on edge.
The city’s top cop joined Mayor Brandon Johnson to brief reporters on the rumored influx of federal troops and law enforcement as President Donald Trump threatens to target Chicago next for a military occupation.
The two city leaders said they have not heard from the White House, though Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told reporters in Washington, D.C., Thursday that preparations were underway for an immigration crackdown in Chicago, and reports said it could commence as soon as next week.
But Snelling repeated that his door is open for the feds to inform him about any deployment, suggesting he wanted Chicago police to take on the least hostile role possible in order to mitigate some of the “chaos” that could erupt.
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“If they’re here, communication between the CPD and the National Guard would be most helpful, because I think that’s where we can find some type of balance,” Snelling said. “There’s no need at this point to create an adversarial environment which could lead to violence.”
A Chicago police spokesperson clarified later that Snelling was talking about protesters and protecting First Amendment rights when speaking against fomenting “an adversarial environment.”
Homan also confirmed Thursday that the administration was considering using the Naval Station Great Lakes base north of Chicago to host federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ahead of immigration raids.
“There’s discussions about that, yes,” Homan told reporters outside the White House.
He declined to say whether National Guard troops might also be housed there. “We’re not going to tell you how many resources we’re going to send to the city. We don’t want the bad guy to know what we’re sending. It will be a large contingent,” Homan said.
Snelling’s proffered olive branch came after several days of local leaders such as Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker decrying Trump’s plans to blanket Chicago with federal troops as illegal political posturing.
Hours later, Pritzker ramped up the rhetoric when reporters asked about White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s Thursday briefing in which she said of Chicago’s crime numbers, “This is Gov. Pritzker’s legacy. He should put politics aside, he should pick up the phone and call this president.”
“This is part of his plan to do something very nefarious, which is to interfere with elections in 2026,” the governor retorted at an unrelated news conference downstate. “He wants to have troops on the ground to stop people from voting, to intimidate people from going to the voting booth. So take note. That is what this is all about.”
The mayor, asked multiple times Thursday morning to detail the directive for Chicago police if uninvited troops arrive, repeatedly said “their role doesn’t change.” Johnson then hewed to talking points about crime rates in Chicago going down.
“It looks like what we’ve been doing, and that’s why we have a 32% reduction in homicides and shootings,” Johnson said. “That’s what it looks like. They’ll continue to do their job to keep the people of the city safe.”
He then deferred to Snelling, who maintained Police Department protocol would be hard to anticipate without communication from the National Guard and that the situation could “change on a dime.” But, the superintendent maintained, “the Chicago Police Department does not, cannot and will not interfere with the work that federal agents are doing.”
Snelling urged protesters to remain peaceful and “try not to obstruct or become physical with federal agents or members of the National Guard.”
The superintendent also said until then, it is “impossible to answer” how police who also serve in the National Guard will be treated or what the department would do if federal authorities overstep. He did specify that his officers will be in uniform so they can be easily distinguished from federal troops or law enforcement.
As the city braces for a crackdown, Chicago Public Schools interim CEO Macquline King sent an email Thursday noting “the potential of increased federal presence is creating anxiety and fear about safety at school, and safety within the broader community.” King pointed out CPS won’t allow ICE agents or other federal officers onto school properties, and said the district will follow other protocols to protect students and their families.
Trump identified Chicago last week as “probably” the next city where he’d try to deploy troops to crack down on crime after he deployed 2,000 National Guard members in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. His administration sent nearly 5,000 federal troops to Los Angeles in June during protests over federal immigration raids.
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The vague but increasingly substantial threat has put city leaders on edge as they brace for the often-aggrandizing president’s unclear plans.
CNN on Thursday cited White House sources who said an immigration crackdown would commence in Chicago on Sept. 5.
A spokesman for Pritzker’s office said Thursday they still have not had any communication with Washington about any National Guard deployments.
Johnson reiterated Thursday the National Guard does not have “arresting authority or policing powers,” but acknowledged that other federal agencies do. If federal agents do start making arrests in Chicago, he said, “the Police Department’s role is to do what it’s been doing, and that’s to serve folks and to protect folks.”
Snelling said his department is not yet canceling vacations, but is prepping to “have the manpower in place” and respond to protests. His department will continue to neither request nor report immigration status to federal authorities, he added.
And Johnson’s chief homelessness officer, Sendy Soto, said her office will distribute cards including information about shelter and legal resources at homeless encampments Thursday.
“The city believes firmly that being unhoused is not a crime, so we will not be assisting with any sort of arrest or enforcement toward the unhoused community,” she said.
Meanwhile, a coalition of progressive activists and elected officials blasted Trump’s threats Thursday afternoon, promising during a Daley Plaza news conference that the president will find a “brick wall” if he floods the city with federal authorities.
“It’s not enough for us just to call it out. We must fight it,” state Sen. Robert Peters, who is running for Congress, told the crowd. “I don’t care what party you’re in, the authoritarianism that we’re facing right now calls on you to stand up and fight back against him.”
baiduhai’s Olivia Olander and Jeremy Gorner contributed.