Summary
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Saturday.
- The order calls on Trump not to deploy troops to the city.
- Directs city departments to refuse collaboration with federal agents.
- Police instructed to clearly differentiate from federal enforcement.
In addition, Chicago Police were instructed not to "collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties including civil immigration enforcement," wear identification, and refrain from donning masks.
“The City of Chicago Mayor Johnson demands that President Donald J Trump and any agents acting under his authority stand down from any attempts to deploy the U.S. Armed Forces—including National Guard—in Chicago,”
the order said.
However, it is forbidden for any city department to take part in any enforcement activities that violate the rights of Chicagoans to peacefully assemble and demonstrate.
The city
"will pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to counter coordinated efforts from the federal government that violate the rights of the City and its residents, including the Constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and protest and the right to due process,"
the mayor's order further stated.
“We will protect our constitution. We will protect our city. And we will protect our people. We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart,”
Johnson said at the city hall press event to announce the order.
“Protecting Chicago will ensure that every Chicagoan knows their rights, that every single family is prepared, and every part of city government is directed to protect the people of Chicago from federal action.”
The directive coincides with reports that Trump is considering sending National Guard troops to Chicago in a similar manner to the operation he carried out in Los Angeles earlier this summer, when he dispatched 700 U.S. Marines and about 4,000 California National Guard soldiers to put an end to demonstrations against ICE raids in the city.
As early as the end of next week, Johnson stated on Saturday, he has heard many reports that the Trump Administration intends to send militarized action to Chicago, possibly in the form of active-duty military forces, National Guard soldiers, or federal agents. Although he believed he did not have the "luxury" of time, he stated that he was collaborating with the city council to develop legislation in order to get ready for any deployment.
In recent weeks, Trump has increased his threats against cities that are controlled by Democrats, threatening to send National Guard troops to "address crime" in Oakland, Baltimore, and Chicago. Although many of Trump's moves are being contested in court, he has capitalized on the precedent set by his militaristic takeover of Washington, D.C., where the president has some control over local police during emergencies.
The president deployed over 2,000 National Guard troops and federal officers to the capital as part of what he says is a crackdown on crime.
Although Trump has not announced that he is deploying troops to Chicago, he has hinted that the Midwestern city is next.
“After we do this, we’ll go to another location and we’ll make it safe also,”
Trump told reporters on Aug. 22.
“Chicago is a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent, and we’ll straighten that one out, probably next.”
Even while city police statistics indicate that crime in Chicago, like that in Washington, D.C., has decreased recently, Trump has consistently attacked the city's leadership for years and during his first term. According to city police data, there has been a 15% fall in crime since 2023, and shootings, both fatal and nonfatal, have dropped by over 38% this year compared to the previous one.
How would Chicago Police refusal to collaborate affect federal operations?
Without local police cooperation, federal agents could lose critical on-the-ground support such as local intelligence, backup, crowd control, and logistical assistance, making federal operations less effective and more dangerous.
Chicago police wearing identifiable uniforms and not collaborating with anonymous or masked federal agents helps residents distinguish between local law enforcement and federal personnel, protecting community trust and reducing confusion during enforcement actions.
City departments refusing to assist federal immigration enforcement hinder the implementation of enforcement actions requiring local resources, such as setting up traffic perimeters or providing access to detention facilities.