Chicago Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson on Saturday warned federal officers that he intends to force the Chicago Police Department to arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers if he thinks they are breaking the law.
The self-professed “progressive” mayor signed an executive order directing the Chicago Police Department to “investigate” ICE agents and file criminal referrals against them for alleged “misconduct.”
The order “creates a framework for public accountability in the event federal agents violate local or state law while operating in Chicago,” a city hall press release states.
“Nobody is above the law. There is no such thing as ‘absolute immunity’ in America,” Johnson exclaimed in the statement.
“The lawlessness of Trump’s militarized immigration agents puts the lives and well-being of every Chicagoan in immediate danger. With today’s order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents,” Johnson added.
“In the event of illegal misconduct by federal immigration agents, CPD supervisors will preserve evidence of the incident and, at the direction of the Mayor’s Office, make a referral of felony matters to the Cook County States Attorney,” the press release claimed.
Johnson accused ICE officers of violating constitutionally protected rights of free speech and protest.
The left-wing mayor has attacked ICE in other executive orders as well. In October, he signed such an order creating what he called “ICE-free zones” to impede immigration arrests in the city.
For its part, the Chicago police union has denounced Johnson’s plan, with Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara Jr. calling the mayor’s executive order nothing better than a “piece of toilet paper,” according to The Center Square.
“The only good thing in that piece of toilet paper is ‘no CPD member will be required to arrest any federal agents,’” Catanzara exclaimed.
“To demonstrate the level of incompetence in the mayor’s office, corporation council and law department, I simply point out the line about most immigration matters being civil and not criminal,” Catanzara said, adding that Johnson and his administration are uninformed about the reality of the law.
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“Entering illegally is a misdemeanor that is punishable up to six months in jail. A second offense is a felony with up to two years in jail,” Catanzara explained.
Catanzara also felt that the requirement for CPD officers to take reports from civilians of supposed wrongdoing of ICE officers was “concerning,” according to the report, and he pointed out that taking such reports from left-wing activists is a bit absurd. After all, he said, “citizens can also be named offenders” and may be the guilty parties simply trying to throw shade at ICE for political reasons.
Meanwhile, the City of Chicago had 362 shot and killed on its streets and 1,954 total shot in 2025, and for the first month of the year Chicago has already suffered 28 killed and 131 shot.
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