DOWNTOWN — A viral post claiming salt trucks are blocking immigration enforcement actions in Chicago is false, according to city officials.

The post went viral on Instagram, showing city salt trucks parking end-to-end along a city street, with the video’s caption saying there was a “wall of trucks, moving slow, making it clear: ICE isn’t welcome here.”

“By dawn today, [state] plows and salt trucks were out on I-294, the Edens, and I-94 — crawling shoulder to shoulder, jamming every lane into Chicago,” reads the post shared by the organizers of the No Kings movement. “A wall of trucks, moving slow, making it clear: ICE isn’t welcome here. Well done Chicago”

But that isn’t the case, and the video in the post shows city salt trucks blocking off a section of Grant Park hosting the Taste of Chicago. City trucks have for years been used to enable barriers around major events including the taste and Lollapalooza.

“Department of Streets and Sanitation deployed salt trucks to support public safety efforts related to a planned protest and the Taste of Chicago,” a spokesperson for the Department of Streets and Sanitation said. “This is a routine practice.”

A social media post incorrectly claimed salt trucks were being used to block ICE. Credit: Screenshot via Instagram

The false viral post comes as President Donald Trump has announced plans to send federal agents into Chicago to crack down on illegal immigration and address crime.

The post appeared to have been taken down shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday.

Federal agents — who are staying at the Great Lakes Naval Base in North Chicago — are expected to focus on making immigration arrests and conducting raids in and around Chicago for more than a month. Trump has also said he is considering sending the National Guard to the city, though it is unclear when that might happen.

In warning residents of the impending federal activity, city officials including police Supt. Larry Snelling said they would not interfere nor collaborate with federal officials on the ground.

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