Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson ordered city police not to cooperate with federal agents and military troops as President Trump prepares to flood the area to conduct sweeping immigration raids.
The Democratic mayor, a vocal critic of the president, signed an executive order Saturday directing local law enforcement not to assist immigration agents and the military, including the National Guard, with patrols, arrests or operations if they are deployed to the Windy City.
“We do not have the luxury of time,” Johnson said at a press conference, flanked by other city leaders.
“We have received credible reports that we have days, not weeks, before our city sees some type of militarized activity by the federal government. It is unclear at this time what that will look like exactly.”
He said the order is meant to serve as a clear blueprint for city employees and residents on “how we can stand up against this tyranny.”
The directive requires officers to stay in uniform, identify themselves, follow body camera protocols, avoid wearing face masks to clearly set them apart from any federal agents, and enforce all local laws.
Johnson’s order also “urges” federal agents to refrain from wearing face masks and to follow the same procedures a local police — while demanding that Trump “stand down” from deploying any military forces.
“We will use the courts if that’s necessary,” Johnson warned.
After sending DHS and the National Guard to Washington, DC, earlier this month to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, Trump suggested Chicago would be “next.”
Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan has also threatened to deploy ICE agents to other sanctuary cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle.
The White House slammed Johnson’s move as a showy “stunt” taking aim at Trump’s plan to curb crime.
“If these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of doing publicity stunts to criticize the President, their communities would be much safer,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
“Cracking down on crime should not be a partisan issue.”
With Post wires.
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