East Chicago Police officers won’t involve themselves in ICE activities in the city, but officials are imploring residents to not instigate or accelerate volatile situations.
East Chicago Police confirmed that ICE agents were set up in the publicly accessible portion of the department’s parking lot after the mayor’s office saw an online video showing ICE agents conducting an arrest Thursday afternoon, Mayor Anthony Copeland said in a Thursday evening social media post. Early Thursday, ICE agents attempted to establish a staging area at the Hammond Police Department, but Hammond city officials told them to leave. Like Hammond, East Chicago’s administrators weren’t alerted to their presence or plans, he said.
“(Thursday) will be remembered as the day that tested my resolve,” Copeland said.