Brandon Johnson has ordered city police not to cooperate with federal agents in enforcing immigration laws.
According to reports, the Chicago mayor plans to sign an executive order on Saturday outlining the city’s response to Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
CNN reported that Brandon Johnson will issue directives to city agencies and law enforcement “in the face of escalating threats from the federal government.”
Last week, the White House requested the establishment of a US military base outside Chicago to support immigration operations, as part of the Trump administration’s plans to take control of Democratic-led “sanctuary cities.”
CNN reported that Johnson’s executive order “affirms” that Chicago police “will not cooperate with federal agents in joint law enforcement patrols, arrests, or other law enforcement missions, including civilian immigration enforcement.”
The order also directs city police to wear uniforms, continue to identify themselves, follow body camera procedures, and not wear masks to clearly distinguish themselves from federal operations, according to a copy of the order.
The order states that “the deployment of federal military forces in Chicago without the consent of local authorities undermines democratic norms, violates the city’s sovereignty, threatens civil liberties, and risks exacerbating violence rather than ensuring peace.”
It also stipulates that city departments must “use all available legal and legislative means to resist coordinated federal efforts.”
On Thursday, Tom Homan, the administration’s “border chief,” said that Chicago, like several other cities, would soon be the target of an immigration crackdown.
“Operations are increasing across the country,” Homan said. “But we’re seeing an escalation in all the operations in Chicago, that’s for sure.”
During an interview on Fox News, Mr. Homan was asked if he had a message for Mr. Johnson. “Get out of the way, because we’re going to get out of the way,” Mr. Homan replied.
NBC News reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Border Patrol, and other agencies would send large numbers of agents and equipment to Chicago starting next week to increase arrests of undocumented immigrants.
This operation comes just weeks after the president deployed armed soldiers and military vehicles to patrol the streets of Washington, D.C., claiming, despite all available evidence, that the use of the National Guard was necessary to control crime.
The Trump administration is working on a plan to send the National Guard to Chicago, which Johnson and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker have called an abuse of power.
On Friday, Pritzker said such an action would be considered an “invasion.” He told CBS News that if Trump deployed the National Guard, “voters should understand that he has other goals besides fighting crime.”
Pritzker said those goals could be “to prevent the 2026 election, or, frankly, to control it.”
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “If these Democrats had focused on fighting crime in their own cities instead of engaging in propaganda campaigns criticizing the president, their communities would be safer.” She added, “Fighting crime shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but the thyroid-obsessed Democrats are trying to make it a partisan issue. They should listen to their Democratic colleague, Mayor Muriel Bowser, who recently praised the Trump administration’s success in reducing violent crime in Washington.”
Report provided by Reuters
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