CHICAGO -- The head of the Chicago police defended the department's involvement in weekend clashes between federal immigration agents and protesters.

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference Monday that it's difficult to toe the line between state and local laws that bar police from assisting in federal immigration enforcement and their responsibility to protect the public.

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He said his officers briefly secured the scene Saturday after a woman claimed federal immigration agents shot her. He said later that day, a vehicle rammed one carrying federal agents, pushing it off the road, and that his officers helped protect federal agents from a large crowd.

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