There has been a lot of misunderstanding about that. There was a time, decades ago, when non-Italians had more upward mobility in the Chicago family than others. But even then they could never become formally initiated members. Guys like Jake Guzik, Murray Humphries, Gus Alex, and others had a lot of clout. But they weren't Italian and so could never become made. It was also said that even Italian guys who were made into the Outfit didn't go through the blood and fire ceremony like those in other families. This idea has continued on in the minds of many even though it's now outdated.

Over time, the Chicago Outfit became more and more like the other LCN families. They eventually started using the same making ceremony. And no longer will you find any non-Italians in its hierarchy. There are still associates, both Italian and non-Italian, who may oversee certain operations but there are no non-members in the Outfit administration level or the crew boss level. So made guys in Chicago is essentially the same as New York or anywhere else.

One more confusing thing for people can be found in the recent Family Secrets indictment. In there you had some of the defendants who were identified as "made members of the Outfit." Others, however, did not have this distinction but were listed as a "member of the 26th street crew," "member of the Melrose Park crew," etc. It should be noted that just because they were members of a certain Outfit crew, that doesn't necessarily equate to them being formally inducted members of the Chicago mob.