CHICAGO (WLS) — Mayor Brandon Johnson is taking new steps to fight President Donald Trump’s expected immigration crackdown and potential National Guard deployment in the Chicago area.
Johnson signed the “Protecting Chicago” executive order on Saturday as the Trump administration prepares to conduct a major immigration enforcement operation, which could start next week.
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Sources say hundreds of immigration enforcement agents could be coming to Chicago. Those agents are expected to be stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes.
Leaders at all levels of government have been calling out the plans, including Gov. JB Pritzker, who says there is nothing the state of Illinois can legally do to stop any immigration enforcement operations. But that is not stopping Johnson from taking action.
While the mayor says he has not received specific details about what federal law enforcement or military action could look like, he believes the executive order is one way to protect the rights of Chicagoans.
Chicago mayor signs executive order in response to possible deployment of National Guard.
“We do not want to see tanks in our streets. You do not want to see families ripped apart. You do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans,” Johnson said.
With a stroke of a pen, Johnson signed an executive order establishing the Protecting Chicago Initiative. It directs city agencies to regularly submit Freedom of Information Act requests regarding actions taken by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. And it reaffirms that the Chicago Police Department will remain a locally controlled law enforcement agency.
“So, this is about making a clear distinction between what our law enforcement engages in versus what federal agents engage in,” Johnson said.
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The executive order also calls on federal law enforcement to follow municipal policies, including those prohibiting officers from wearing masks to conceal their identities, requiring body cameras to be worn and activated while interacting with a member of the public, and mandating that officers display the name of their federal agency, their last name, and their badge number.
Ald. Ray Lopez, who represents the 15th Ward, believes the deployment of National Guard troops could help improve public safety and does not believe the mayor’s executive order accomplishes much.
“I believe that we already work with the federal government on multiple levels. This would be an enhancement to that, and there are safeguards in place, and there should be nothing stopping us from exploring those options. Look, if he president and mayor actually had a real conversation instead of talking at each other, maybe we could work some of this out,” Lopez said.
Ald. Mike Rodriguez, who represents the 22nd Ward, disagrees.
“How would you feel if you’re in Little Village trying to send your kid to school, go to church, open your shop with tanks potentially running down your streets? This is unacceptable, un-American and counterproductive to the public safety we want to bring to the city,” Rodriguez said.
Under the executive order, the mayor also directs the city to pursue all legal and legislative avenues to stop the potential deployment of National Guard troops.
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