Chicago, Illinois – Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling held a forceful press briefing after a weekend of confrontations involving federal immigration agents and protesters. The superintendent criticized dangerous crowd behavior and reiterated the department’s policy that separates immigration enforcement from local policing, while affirming the CPD’s duty to preserve public safety and crime scenes.
Snelling confirmed that 27 Chicago officers were affected after federal agents deployed chemical agents at the scene. While no major injuries were reported, the department filed incident reports to document exposure and monitor potential after effects.
“These men and women go out there every single day,” he said, emphasizing the physical and reputational risks officers face when responding to volatile incidents. Snelling described communication with federal leadership after the events and said the federal counterpart expressed concern about the gas deployment.
Guidance to the public and next steps
Snelling issued blunt warnings about dangerous protest tactics, saying that if protesters boxed in law enforcement officers, including ICE, they are reasonable to believe that it is an ambush.
The department will conduct an after‑action review to refine tactics, improve interagency communication, and better protect officers and residents during future incidents. As Snelling put it, “This is not a game.”
