Oh, bless their hearts—the Chicago City Council is gearing up for its big dramatic vote on February 18, because apparently nothing says “sanctuary city” like turning the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) into the official ICE-snitch patrol.
It’s true. WTTW has it.
For the TL;DR crowd: COPA’s shiny new chief, LaKenya White, bravely announced she’s ready to dive into those 40 whole complaints piled up since June about those dastardly CPD officers who—gasp—dared to do things like block streets for safety, protect vehicles, or (horror of horrors) escort federal agents around. Because clearly, the real crime here isn’t federal law enforcement doing their job; it’s local cops not actively obstructing them.
Chicago’s precious Welcoming City Ordinance—passed back when virtue-signaling was still fresh—sternly forbids city employees from helping with immigration enforcement in “nearly all cases.” And yet, shocking eyewitness accounts from elected officials, residents, and the usual activist chorus claim they’ve seen CPD officers committing the unforgivable sins of… clearing paths, providing security perimeters, and coordinating logistics. The humanity!
Over 2,000 brave Chicagoans signed a petition (because nothing screams urgency like an online signature) demanding the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) hold a hearing and draft new rules to punish officers for the grave offense of aiding Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Border Patrol. During said hearing, dozens of outraged citizens begged the board to stop federal agents from “terrorizing our neighborhoods”—you know, by actually enforcing laws instead of playing hide-and-seek.
Tired of waiting for the bureaucracy to virtue-signal at its own pace, heroic Aldermen Andre Vasquez (40th Ward) and Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) swooped in with their amendment to the 2017 COPA ordinance, explicitly letting COPA investigate these heinous violations. On Chicago Tonight, they explained why this is desperately needed: because back on June 4 last year, ICE and Border Patrol apparently had the audacity to escalate their “violence” (texting people to show up—how barbaric) and detain folks, while CPD officers committed the atrocity of setting up perimeters and coordinating inside an ISAP office. Truly, the stuff of dystopian nightmares.
Why didn’t COPA already have this power, you ask? Vasquez helpfully points out there was “ambiguity” about who should investigate—COPA, the inspector general, or CPD’s internal affairs. So this amendment heroically removes all doubt, ensuring COPA gets the glory of maximum transparency while chasing down cops who might have glanced in ICE’s direction.
And when asked if they buy Police Supt. Larry Snelling and Mayor Brandon Johnson’s claim that CPD has been complying with the ordinance? Vasquez basically shrugged and said, “Sure, they might believe their own eyes, but we saw footage where CPD leadership was—brace yourselves—talking to ICE agents about where to park their cars for easier access, in private spots instead of public ones, so they could… transport people.” Kidnapping, as he dramatically reframed basic federal custody transfers. Because nothing screams “public safety” like forcing ICE to park in the street amid a mob.
So here’s to the amendment: because in Chicago 2026, the biggest threat to neighborhoods isn’t crime—it’s federal agents doing their jobs, and the real villains are the local cops who didn’t sabotage them hard enough. Priorities, people. Priorities.