By CHRISTINE FERNANDO and CLAUDIA LAUER
CHICAGO (AP) — As President Donald Trump threatens to expand immigration raids and deploy the National Guard, Chicago has become the latest flashpoint in a broader national struggle over how far the federal government can push local authorities to cooperate with its immigration agenda.
For the Chicago Police Department, the challenge is acute. The force must preserve public safety in a city already under strain while avoiding the appearance of working hand-in-hand with federal immigration authorities, a stance that could erode community trust and ignite new protests.
The same balancing act has confronted other big-city departments in recent months. Local police in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., were drawn into fraught arrangements with federal agencies that experts say left residents wary and, at times, undermined public confidence in their police.
Now, Chicago finds itself on the same path, with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker objecting to any National Guard deployment and city officials bracing for how the added federal presence could reshape the dynamic on the ground. The outcome, policing experts warn, may determine whether Chicago police can maintain credibility in immigrant communities likely to be targeted by a president determined to show force.
