Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson recently signed an executive order designating city-owned properties as "ICE-Free Zones," stating that these areas would no longer be used by federal immigration authorities for enforcement activities or as holding sites for detainees. Johnson cited recent instances where federal agents had used city properties for immigration enforcement, including parking lots near Harrison and Kedzie and a vacant lot at 46th and Damen.

"In recent weeks, federal agents used several City-owned properties — including parking lots near Harrison and Kedzie, and a vacant lot at 46th and Damen — as staging sites for immigration enforcement. Such use of City property undermines community trust and runs counter to Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, which ensures that all residents — regardless of immigration status — can live, work, and seek services without fear," Johnson said during the signing.

"That means that city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for these raids," he added.

Johnson further criticized the presence of federal agents in Chicago. "We have a rogue, reckless group of heavily armed, masked individuals roaming throughout our city that are not accountable to the people of Chicago. Their actions put all Chicagoans at risk," he stated. He also emphasized that city spaces should be reserved for residents: "Our school parking lots are not for ICE to load their weapons; they are for Chicagoans who drop their kids off to learn. Our libraries are not for ICE to prepare for a raid; they’re for Chicagoans to read and relax. Our parks are not for ICE to set up checkpoints; they are for Chicagoans to play and enjoy."

The executive order has been met with criticism from federal officials. The White House issued a statement on October 6 calling Johnson's order "a disgusting betrayal" of residents. "Today, in a disgusting betrayal of every law-abiding citizen, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson declared city spaces as 'ICE-free zones.' Johnson’s pathetic excuse that enforcing our nation’s immigration laws somehow 'undermines community trust' exposes his true loyalty: to criminal illegal alien predators, not the terrified families of Chicago," the statement read.

The White House also said, "Shielding the most depraved, violent criminal illegal aliens from justice is not only an insult to every Chicagoan, it’s also a dangerous intensification of Democrats’ lunatic 'sanctuary' agenda where criminal illegals come before American citizens."

Legal experts point out that local governments do not have authority over federal law enforcement activities or immigration policy. Any attempt by municipal authorities to interfere with federal operations is largely symbolic rather than enforceable.

Former President Donald Trump commented on social media about the situation, writing that Johnson should face consequences for failing to protect ICE officers. In response, Johnson posted on X: "This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested. I’m not going anywhere."