Chicago City Wire

In a recent YouTube video former Chicago Police officer John Garrido expressed his concerns about the strain on their resources and the challenges Chicago Police face as the city grapples with an increasing influx of illegal immigrants and other issues facing public safety in the city.

Garrido told YouTuber Peter Santenello that illegal immigrants have been living in police stations throughout the city, creating a complex situation for both law enforcement and those seeking shelter.

“Our officers are completely overtaxed because we've got this migrant situation and all the migrants are literally living in the police stations throughout the city,” Garrido said in a video with Santenello in which the two discuss public policy.

Former Chicago Police officer John Garrido discusses the illegal immigrant housing crisis. | YouTube / Peter Santenello

“They have full access to the front lobbies of the police stations and outside they're setting up their own encampments outside of these police stations. A homeless person, if they slept in the police station every single morning, they're booted out in the morning. You know, we'll let them in because, you know, the weather and the elements or whatever, they can sleep in there in the morning. They got to go. They're gone all day long. And then maybe they'll come back at night so they can sleep there.”

“Migrants have full access. They can be there all day. They actually send buses – it's called like a 'shower wagon' – that'll pull up so that the migrants can take showers and get cleaned up. We're spending millions of dollars to take care of migrants. And I'm not saying that we shouldn't be taking care of the migrants. They're here trying to get a better life. I get all that. We should take care of them. But look, what are we doing for them? We've got empty schools. We've got empty buildings all over the place. How about you set up a one stop shopping where they have medical and they have counseling and they have whatever they need and allow both in there.”

Officers in Chicago report that migrants have been granted full access to the front lobbies of police stations, even setting up encampments outside these facilities.

The homeless population, in contrast, is provided temporary shelter in the mornings and not allowed to stay throughout the day.

Illegal immigrants, on the other hand, are permitted to stay in these facilities all day, with services even provided, such as "shower wagons" for personal hygiene.

Garrido argues the city's sanctuary status was embraced as long as it didn't directly confront the challenges posed by mass migration. Now that Chicago is dealing with the issue head-on, some feel that the response has not been effective and is impacting the city's public safety and reputation.

“So we're a sanctuary city. And it was all well and good because the politicians love that talking point. We're a welcoming city. We're a sanctuary city. It was all good as long as they weren't coming here. But as soon as they came, it's like, Oh, they're terrible down there. They're using them as pawns. It's every day. It's because they want to. The talking points and they want to be able to say that they care, but they don't want to do anything when it's at their front door,” he said.

“Now they have to deal with the problem.”

“And the problem is so their ideas are fine. We're going to displace the homeless.”

Garrido said police are not granted transparency and the freedom to express their concerns, and that by not being able to shed light on the situation, they are unable to instigate positive change in the city and improve the safety and well-being of its residents.

“It would be a free for all. And the departments don't want either, you know, what they perceived to be misrepresentations or whatever they want control,” Garrido said.

“That comes from even beyond and above. But the part of it, that's the mayor, the politicians there, they don't want everybody speaking freely about what's going on. And they want to make sure that they've got control to keep everybody quiet.”

“I always say freedom of speech is intoxicating. Once I retired, I was able to speak out and shine a light on a lot of things. And that's why I'm doing this today. I love this department. These are my brothers and sisters in blue, the officers that are out there every day putting their lives on the line. And people need to know about how their own safety is put at risk because of the way things are run. And I think you just gotta get the word out and and hopefully, hopefully something clicks somewhere and make a change. It's a beautiful city that's unfortunately being absolutely ruined by politicians.”

Garrido stressed the city's image, tourism, and businesses have been negatively affected by the ongoing challenges.

“It is being ruined from the inside,” Garrido said.

“It's almost the infrastructure, the public safety aspect of it. Chicago's become national news on a regular basis with the crime and the issues that's going on here, that's putting a hit on our tourism. There's been a significant decline in the people coming here. There's businesses that are closing.”

Garrido also discussed the nepotism rampant in the Chicago Police Department as well as the exodus of officers from the Chicago Police Department.

Garrido retired as a lieutenant after 32 years of service in 2022 where he was lauded.

“He’s a true leader and genuinely cares about the officers,” district captain Mike Barz said.

“In the 16th District, no officer has done more than John Garrido. He’s always representing us in a positive light. … This is a big loss for the 16th District.”

Garrido has run twice for alderman, narrowly losing each contest. His father was also a CPD officer.

He and his wife Anna run the Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation.

Santenello is a video maker and entrepreneur known for creating videos that blend elements of travel vlogging and journalism. He has 2.54 million subscribers on YouTube.

Santenello specializes in producing content that explores travel experiences and human stories, showcasing a unique perspective on the places he visits and the people he meets during his journeys.

“Getting a police officer's perspective in one of our large American cities is almost impossible to find these days. Today, we have the great fortune to go on a ride-along with recently retired police lieutenant John Garrido of the Chicago P.D. John speaks out and gives us a deep-dive/behind-the-scenes look at what's currently happening there,” Santenello said on the video’s description on YouTube.

Chicago Contrarian promoted the video on X.

“In a candid conversation with filmmaker Peter Santenello, retired CPD Lt. John Garrido gives his perspective on Chicago's most vexing problems,” Chicago Contrarian said.