Salt trucks were not deployed to block Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Chicago's administration said on Monday, countering viral social media videos suggesting otherwise.
The city said the trucks were in place “to support public safety efforts related to a planned protest and the Taste of Chicago,” calling it a “routine practice,” as quoted by NBC.
The weekend saw thousands of people protest in Chicago against potential ICE activity and the possible deployment of the National Guard. Videos showed fleets of salt trucks in Chicago, with some social media posts claiming they were being used to block ICE and federal immigration enforcement.
US president Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image on Truth Social showing himself in front of the Chicago skyline with helicopters and flames, captioned with references to “Apocalypse now” and deportations. He also referenced his recent executive order to rebrand the defence department as the Department of War.
The post drew strong criticism from Democratic leaders. Governor Pritzker called it a threat against an American city. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also condemned the remarks, saying the president was attempting to undermine the constitution.
On Sunday, Trump downplayed his post, saying, “We’re not going to war. We’re going to clean up our cities… That’s not war. That’s common sense.”
An aide to Illinois Governor J B Pritzker said there were reports of some federal law enforcement arrests, but no evidence of a major surge in immigration enforcement. Pritzker said Illinois State Police had received a call from Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino warning of potential federal operations in the coming week.
Democratic officials have repeatedly criticised Trump’s plans to send federal law enforcement to Chicago, pointing to falling crime rates in the city. According to the latest data reported by NBC, homicides are down 31% from last year, shootings down 37.4%, and total violent crime down 21.6%.
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