Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing to give Chicago’s main police oversight agency the explicit power to investigate complaints of coordination between the Chicago Police Department and federal immigration agents, including a high-profile, June 4 immigration raid where Chicago police were present.
That’s one recommendation from an internal inquiry the mayor’s office conducted, led by Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant Refugee Rights Beatriz Ponce de León, after the police department’s presence at a raid at a South Loop immigration office in June.
The short, seven-page report, shared Friday with WBEZ, follows complaints that no review had taken place nearly two months after the incident. It is not a “substitute for an independent investigation,” the report states.
And it’s not clear that any of the recommendations would have changed how the police department responded to calls that day, Ponce de León said.
The Office of Inspector General and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability have been at odds over who should be tasked with investigating complaints that the police department coordinated with ICE agents. The mayor’s office review recommends amending COPA’s ordinance to give it clear power to investigate allegations that Chicago police violated the Welcoming City Ordinance.
“Giving the clarity of authority to [the Civilian Office of Police Accountability], if they should be the ones to investigate, will be very helpful, and that people know what that complaint process is, and they know how to pursue that if they feel like they need to make a complaint,” said Ponce de León.
The incident sparked outrage from alderpersons and immigration advocates who accused the police department of assisting with federal immigration enforcement. The department has argued it was present only to help with crowd control of a protest against the raids.
At least 10 people were detained by federal agents upon arrival to routine immigration check-ins at a South Loop immigration office June 4. Community members also gathered to protest the detainments that day, and Chicago police patrolled the area. The police department has defended its presence, saying protests ranged from 20 to 40 people and spilled over into city streets.
Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), who has demanded more information about CPD’s role in the incident, said the review is a small step forward, but he remains frustrated at the slow pace.
“To change the municipal code to give the power to COPA is a good step… but we do need more information,” Vasquez said, adding he has not received any bodycam footage, transcripts or 911 calls as he has requested from the mayor’s office.
Chicago police have testified that they were responding to 911 calls for backup handling the ongoing demonstration against the raids. Those calls were made by an ICE worker, the Department of Homeland Security and a police department internal monitoring unit when they arrived at the federal raid.
The review noted that “OEMC does not currently provide detailed contextual information to CPD at dispatch,” and Ponce de León said the review revealed that some of the calls from 911 dispatchers to the police deparment did not make it clear that the calls came from an ICE agent.
It recommends that 911 dispatchers within the Office of Emergency Management and Communications consult a supervisor whenever it’s determined that a call for help “involves potential immigration enforcement.” OEMC supervisors are trained to determine whether responding to a call would violate Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, the report reads.
“I’m not saying that [the recommended protocols] would have changed whether or not they responded,” Ponce de León said. “It might have changed who was on the scene immediately, how many folks responded in the moment.”
The new report also recommends that Johnson’s office play a larger role in reviewing requests for the police department’s response to public demonstrations at future federal raids.
“The internal review underscored the need for the Mayor’s Office to take on a more defined role in managing communication, resource coordination, and transparency during moments of heightened community concern related to immigration matters,” it states.
Noting that no internal police department review had taken place at the time of the mayor’s office probe, the report also states that the police department should be required to conduct a formal, internal review within 30 days of any new incident involving federal immigration enforcement.