Chicago Police Superintendent Reminds the Public ICE Is Law Enforcement and Has Authority Over Citizens

False claims circulating on Instagram and other social media platforms are contributing to growing public confusion and resistance toward U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to law-enforcement officials. The posts incorrectly assert that ICE agents are not real law-enforcement officers, lack authority over U.S. citizens, cannot make arrests without warrants, or should be resisted by citizens and undocumented immigrants alike. Officials say these claims are entirely false and are contributing to escalating confrontations, violence, and disorder.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling addressed the issue during a press conference following an incident in which an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, an action authorities say was taken in self-defense. Snelling emphasized that ICE agents are sworn federal law-enforcement officers and must be treated the same as any other officers operating under the law.

Snelling warned that surrounding or blocking federal agents with vehicles can reasonably be perceived as an ambush. “If you box them in with vehicles, it is reasonable for them to believe that they are being ambushed,” he said, noting that such situations can quickly become life-threatening. Under those circumstances, officers are legally justified in using force to defend themselves.

He cautioned the public against interfering with any law-enforcement activity, stressing that blocking or pursuing officers is both illegal and dangerous. “You are breaking the law when you do that, and you are putting yourself in danger,” Snelling said. He added that officers may reasonably view individuals who repeatedly follow or confront them as potential threats.

Snelling was particularly clear regarding the use of vehicles. He stated that intentionally ramming a vehicle occupied by law-enforcement officers constitutes deadly force, regardless of whether the officers are federal, state, county, or local. “Deadly force is anything that can cause great bodily harm or death. When you plow into a vehicle that contains law-enforcement agents, you’re using deadly force,” he said.

ICE is a federal law-enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security. Its agents are sworn officers authorized by Congress under Titles 8 and 18 of the U.S. Code. ICE is not a civilian or regulatory agency. Its officers carry firearms, execute warrants, make arrests, conduct criminal investigations, and regularly work alongside the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, and state and local police departments.

ICE agents receive standardized federal law-enforcement training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, the same system used by most federal agencies. Their training includes constitutional law, use-of-force policies, de-escalation, arrest procedures, firearms qualification, defensive tactics, search and seizure, and civil-rights protections. They are career federal officers, not contractors or volunteers.

While U.S. citizens cannot violate immigration law, ICE still has authority over citizens in certain circumstances. ICE agents may arrest citizens for federal crimes unrelated to immigration, detain individuals temporarily to verify identity or status when reasonable suspicion exists, execute criminal warrants, and arrest anyone who assaults, obstructs, or interferes with a federal officer. Citizenship does not provide immunity from federal law enforcement. Assaulting an ICE agent, blocking an arrest, using a vehicle against officers, or refusing lawful commands during an enforcement action can all result in federal charges.

Like other federal officers, ICE agents may issue lawful commands during investigations, arrests, and warrant executions. Refusal to comply may lead to arrest for obstruction or resisting a federal officer. Officials warn that claims portraying ICE agents as illegitimate or “not real police” are both legally incorrect and dangerous. Violence against ICE agents is a serious federal felony carrying severe penalties, including prison time. Political disagreement with immigration policy does not excuse criminal behavior.

Authorities say much of the confusion stems from conflating civil immigration violations, criminal enforcement authority, and political opposition to immigration policy. Opposition to enforcement does not change ICE’s legal status, which is firmly established by statute, court rulings, and decades of precedent.

Snelling described his remarks as a warning to activists and the public that interference with federal law enforcement must stop. He noted that few public officials have delivered similar messages, while some have openly encouraged resistance to ICE operations.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently issued an executive order declaring the city an “ICE-free zone,” prohibiting federal agents from using city property for deportation operations and calling for criminal charges against agents who violate the order. Johnson said that “anyone who commits a crime should be charged.” Snelling directly rejected that position, stating that Chicago police “will not and cannot arrest federal agents because someone deems what they are doing is illegal.”

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