Paul Vallas, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, said Mayor Brandon Johnson’s executive order directing the Chicago Police Department to investigate ICE agents is a distraction from the mayor’s record on crime management and public school oversight in Chicago.
“You don’t have to support ICE’s actions to understand Mayor Johnson’s latest meaningless executive order directing CPD to investigate ICE for the purpose of prosecuting agents is a primary part of the mayor’s campaign to divert attention from his abysmal record,” said Vallas. “With police making “actual arrests in only one in seven violent crimes and only a one in four of this year’s murder, I am sure Police Supt. Snelling and States Attorney Burke welcome the mayor’s latest diversion of their time and resources. A serial liar, Johnson told reporters Burke was in “complete support” of the measure, but she wrote in a statement that her office had not reviewed it and called Johnson’s description “not true. If the Mayor wants accountability, he can start by taking personal responsibility for his leadership role in the CTU forcing public schools to shut down for 78 consecutive weeks over two years in which over 900 out of school youth shot and over 100 killed.”
According to Vallas, he posted this statement on X, highlighting his concerns about the executive order. The post linked to a Chicago Tribune article detailing the requirements for police to document and refer potential felony charges against federal agents.
Illinois has allocated over $2.5 billion for migrant care by the end of 2025, covering healthcare, welcome centers, and housing amid sanctuary policies. This spending has exceeded projections, straining budgets while local homelessness rose to affect 58,625 individuals in 2024. Taxpayers funded programs like Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults, which ended after costing $330 million in fiscal year 2025.
Chicago has experienced resource pressures from migrant arrivals, with its sanctuary status contributing to shelter overcrowding and increased demands on public services. Federal enforcement under Operation Midway Blitz arrested over 5,000 individuals; however, most had no prior criminal records. The influx highlighted burdens on healthcare and housing in progressive-led areas.
The U.S. unauthorized immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023 due to lax border policies that led to resource strains nationwide. Border encounters peaked at 2.1 million in fiscal year 2024 before declining sharply in 2025 following stricter enforcement measures. Such numbers have exacerbated taxpayer costs, estimated at $182 billion annually for services to illegal aliens and their children.
Vallas served as Chicago’s municipal budget director from 1990 to 1993 and as CEO of Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to 2001, where he expanded charter schools and improved test scores. He later led school systems in Philadelphia, New Orleans post-Katrina, and Bridgeport. Vallas ran for Illinois governor in 2002, lieutenant governor in 2014, and Chicago mayor in both 2019 and 2023.
