Tensions between federal and local law enforcement reportedly reached a boiling point Saturday after Chicago Police Department (CPD) officers were instructed not to respond to Border Patrol agents’ calls for help, according to Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin.
Melugin posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Chicago’s Chief of Patrol issued a directive telling officers to stand down after Border Patrol agents were surrounded by a large crowd of protesters, following a violent confrontation involving a ramming incident and the shooting of an armed woman.
“Chicago police officers were instructed by their Chief of Patrol to NOT respond to Border Patrol agents’ call for help yesterday after they were reportedly surrounded by a large crowd of protesters,” Melugin wrote, attaching what he said was a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) entry from CPD.
CAD Message: “No Units Will Respond to This”
The CAD screenshot reportedly described an emergency situation involving around 30 armed Border Patrol agents (ICE) who were encircled by an aggressive group demanding their withdrawal.
“Caller is 1 of approx 30 armed border patrol agents (ICE) who are being surrounded by a large crowd of people requesting CPD,” the dispatch message read.
“No units will respond to this.”
The alleged order has generated intense backlash, as critics say Chicago’s sanctuary city policies and lack of cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are compromising public and officer safety.
Background: DHS Says Border Patrol Was Rammed, Forced to Open Fire
The incident stems from a chaotic confrontation earlier Saturday when Border Patrol agents operating in Broadview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, were boxed in by 10 vehicles, and rammed by at least one, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Agents were forced to exit their vehicles, where they reportedly encountered an armed female suspect brandishing a semi-automatic weapon, and were forced to open fire in self-defense. The woman later drove herself to a hospital with gunshot wounds and was listed in stable condition, per Chicago Fire Department reports.
DHS officials later revealed the woman had been flagged in a Customs and Border Protection intelligence bulletin for allegedly doxing ICE agents online and encouraging violence with statements like “f**k those motherf***ers up.”
Two individuals have reportedly been taken into custody in connection with the incident.
CPD’s Alleged Stand-Down Order Sparks Outrage
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller labeled the incident “domestic terrorism and seditious insurrection,” while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that additional special operations teams were being deployed to secure the area and protect federal personnel.
“I am deploying more special operations to control the scene. Reinforcements are on their way,” Noem posted to X.
Despite the clear danger posed to federal officers, no CPD units reportedly arrived to assist, according to the CAD report — and many believe it’s politically motivated.
Political Pressure and Riots Following Operation Midway Blitz
The incident follows weeks of unrest after DHS launched “Operation Midway Blitz” on September 8 — a targeted enforcement initiative across Illinois to arrest illegal migrants with prior deportation orders or criminal records.
Chicago’s sanctuary city policies, long defended by Democratic leaders like Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, have made the city a hotspot for illegal migration, DHS officials say. Those policies, critics argue, have also increased friction between federal immigration authorities and local law enforcement.
Riots and violent protests have erupted throughout the city in recent weeks, coinciding with ICE’s operations — and now, potentially emboldening actions like Saturday’s blockade and armed standoff.
Conclusion
As federal and local tensions escalate, Saturday’s incident underscores the increasingly volatile landscape facing law enforcement in major sanctuary cities. The White House and DHS are promising a strong response, while critics accuse Chicago leadership of endangering lives by prioritizing political ideology over officer safety.
Neither the Chicago Police Department nor Mayor Johnson’s office have released public statements on the alleged stand-down order as of publication.
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This division in the law enforcement community, on the part of Chicago, is downright disgusting! No politician should be allowed to interfere with effective law enforcement!
Where are the DOJ attorneys who have a perfect case against Sanctuary City’s policies and directives, which are in violation of many sections of 8 U.S. Code 1324, “Harboring Aliens”? For one example: 8 U.S. Code § 1324 (a)(1)(A) – “knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation. […]”
time fot some serious elected official arrests starting with Pritzker and Johnson
Cut off all federal aid, let the illegals flock to these sanctuary cities where soon they will be so inundated that the citizens paying the taxes will realize all the problems, crime, housing, schools, hospitals, shop lifting, soon that will become a major way of life they must endure. The property Values will plummet and they will not be able to sell and move elsewhere. Chicago will become the next Detroit. Painful lessons are lessons well learned.