Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order on Saturday outlining the city’s initial plans to resist President Donald Trump’s planned immigration crackdown in the coming days.
The mayor’s order offers guidance and directives to the city’s agencies and law enforcement “in the midst of escalating threats from the federal government.” CNN previously reported that the Trump administration is planning a major immigration enforcement operation in Chicago as early as next week, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
“We may see militarized immigration enforcement.” We may also see National Guard troops. We may even see active-duty military and armed vehicles on our streets. We have not requested this. Our people did not ask for this, but we find ourselves having to respond to it,” Johnson said before signing the executive order on Saturday.
The mayor’s order “affirms” Chicago police will not “collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties, including civil immigration enforcement.”
The order also “urges” federal law enforcement officers working in Chicago “to refrain from wearing masks, to wear and use body cameras, and to identify themselves to members of the public with names and badge numbers.” Johnson reiterated that the city’s police force will be required to wear uniforms that clearly identify them.
Johnson’s order also directs city departments to “pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to resist coordinated efforts from the federal government” that violate Chicago residents’ rights.
The mayor’s order ultimately requires Trump to “stand down” from deploying military forces to Chicago for immigration enforcement, but it’s unclear how effective it will be in thwarting Trump’s plans.
It is the latest effort to counter the Trump administration’s attacks on Democratic-led cities. The move comes as Trump plans to expand his law enforcement efforts from Los Angeles and Washington, DC to cities across the country.
CNN has previously reported that the administration’s plans for Chicago will differ from the current law enforcement crackdown in the nation’s capital. Instead, they are expected to resemble Trump’s June deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles to quell immigration protests. Trump is currently facing a legal challenge over the deployment.
Earlier this week, Trump signed an executive order establishing “specialized units” in the National Guard to combat crime in cities, but it is unclear how the order will be implemented. Each state, territory, and the District of Columbia already has National Guard reaction forces in place to respond to incidents requiring law enforcement or security support.
If Trump were to use presidential powers to deploy the National Guard and federal law enforcement agencies in US cities, it would be a historic move that some experts and local leaders believe is illegal.
In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday, Johnson condemned Trump’s potential deployment of federal troops to the country’s third largest city.
“This is obviously unconstitutional. “It’s illegal and costly,” he explained. “Is there still work to be done? Of course there is. Is sending military troops into cities a way to improve community safety? “Certainly not.”
On Saturday, the White House described Johnson’s move as a “publicity stunt.”
“If these Democrats focused on reducing crime in their own cities rather than staging publicity stunts to criticize the President, their communities would be far safer. In a statement to CNN, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said that combating crime should not be a partisan issue.
Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker has also chastised Trump for implying that he would send federal troops to Chicago. During a press conference earlier this week, he accused the administration of “searching for ways to lay the groundwork to circumvent our democracy, militarize our cities, and end elections.”
“If this was really about fighting crime and making the streets safe, what possible justification could the White House have for planning such an exceptional action without any conversations or consultations with the governor, the mayor, or the police?” Pritzker said.
Trump fired back at Pritzker on Saturday.
“JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just stated that he does not require assistance in preventing CRIME. He’s crazy!!! “He better straighten it out, FAST, or we’ll come!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
On Thursday, while visiting La Crosse, Wisconsin, Vice President JD Vance stated that the administration wants governors and mayors “to ask for help.”
“We’re not very far from Chicago. Chicago has had a lot of crime issues. Why do you have mayors and governors who are angrier about Donald Trump’s offer to assist them than they are about their own residents being carjacked and murdered on the streets? He said, “It doesn’t make any sense.”
