Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson isn’t pulling punches. On Monday, he signed an executive order that bans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using any city-owned property for their operations — no parking lots, no vacant land, no staging areas. Not one square inch.
The order comes as a direct response to the federal agency’s recent crackdown in the city, dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” targeting undocumented immigrants across Chicago. Johnson, alongside Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, has made it clear: Chicago won’t be a playground for federal immigration raids.
“We will not tolerate ICE agents violating our residents’ constitutional rights nor will we allow the federal government to disregard our local authority,” Johnson said in a statement.
The new directive requires city departments to implement the changes within five days, demands city employees report any violations immediately, and even encourages local businesses and nonprofits to follow suit. It’s a full-court press aimed at keeping ICE out — not just from City Hall but from every corner of the city’s infrastructure.
And this isn’t just about policy. Johnson pointed to a recent flashpoint where ICE allegedly detained Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes and used tear gas on residents. “With this Executive Order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy,” Johnson said.
The move has set off a political firestorm.
Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, accused Johnson of “demonizing ICE law enforcement.” She claimed Chicago police refused to back up federal officers during a tense confrontation where “a growing and violent crowd began throwing rocks.”
“His reckless policies not only endanger our law enforcement, but public safety,” McLaughlin said. “While he continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto Chicago’s streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives — without pay — to arrest these heinous criminals and make Chicago safe again.”
The White House didn’t hold back either, calling Johnson’s executive order “a disgusting betrayal of every law-abiding citizen.”
“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,” the statement read.
ICE says it has arrested more than 1,000 people since the Chicago operation began. And while DHS defends the raids as necessary law enforcement, the fallout in Chicago has been immediate and tense. Protests have erupted across the city. On Saturday, a confrontation outside an ICE facility in Broadview ended with one person shot by Customs and Border Protection agents and two others charged with assaulting a federal officer.
Chicago, home to an estimated 1.7 million immigrants in its metro area, has long branded itself a sanctuary city. But Johnson’s order pushes that stance further than ever — directly opposing federal enforcement on the city’s own turf.
Just weeks earlier, Johnson signed another executive order protecting the right to protest against ICE raids. That order told the Chicago Police Department to work with protest organizers if federal agents interfered — essentially giving cover to demonstrators and sending another clear message to Washington: ICE isn’t welcome here.
This isn’t a policy disagreement. It’s a full-blown showdown between a city’s values and the federal government’s priorities. And Mayor Johnson has made his position crystal clear: in Chicago, immigrant communities will not be used as bait.
Watch Johnson’s full statement below:
