Chicago’s mayor Brandon Johnson has issued an executive order outlining how the city will resist any federal immigration crackdown that Donald Trump has threatened to carry out.
“We do not need nor want an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation of our city,” Johnson said as he signed the order. The directive instructs city agencies on how to respond if federal enforcement escalates.
Reports have already surfaced that Trump deployed roughly 2,000 troops to Washington, D.C., and warned that Chicago could be next, calling the city a “mess.” There are also claims that federal immigration agents are preparing a surge into the area. In response, the White House dismissed Johnson’s order as “a publicity stunt.”
The move highlights the ongoing clash between Illinois leadership and the White House over crime and immigration. Johnson’s order demands that Trump and federal forces “stand down from any attempts to deploy the US Armed Forces” in Chicago. It also reaffirms existing policies, such as requiring officers to wear body cameras and visible identification while banning the use of masks, a direct response to concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers concealing their identities.
Johnson also promised that the city will support residents in knowing their rights if they encounter federal enforcement while making it clear that local law enforcement will not join joint patrols with immigration agents. Officials note that more than one in five Chicago residents is an immigrant, with over half coming from Latin America, though it is uncertain how many are undocumented.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the city, describing it as “a killing field” and calling violent crime there an emergency. His threats to send in the National Guard have drawn strong backlash. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called the move an abuse of power, saying, “Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicise Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson fired back, accusing Chicago leaders of turning crime into a partisan issue.