Johnson Moves to Shield Chicago From Federal Overreach
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Saturday designed to push back against President Donald Trump’s threats to send federal agents and National Guard troops into Illinois. Johnson said the order directs the city’s law department to use “every legal mechanism” available to block what he described as alarming federal overreach.
“We find ourselves in a position where we must take immediate, drastic action to protect our people,” Johnson said at a press conference. He pledged to use “every single tool that is at our disposal, and that includes the courts,” pointing to judicial review as one of the few remaining checks on presidential power.
Limits on Chicago Police and Federal Cooperation
The order sets new restrictions on how Chicago police can interact with federal forces. It prohibits officers from covering their faces or removing department logos and bars collaboration with military patrols or civil immigration enforcement.
“This order affirms that the Chicago Police Department will not collaborate with military personnel on police patrols or civil immigration enforcement,” Johnson said. “We will not have our police officers deputized to do traffic stops and checkpoints for the president.” He added, “We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans.”
Trump Administration Pushes Back
Johnson’s action comes as Trump has already sent federal law enforcement and National Guard units into Washington, D.C., and threatened deployments in cities like Baltimore. The Washington Post reported earlier this month that the Pentagon was deeply involved in planning a military operation in Chicago. NBC News has separately reported that federal agents could surge into the city as soon as next week.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed Johnson’s move as “Trump derangement syndrome.” She accused Democratic mayors of focusing on “publicity stunts” instead of addressing crime, and pointed to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser’s comments crediting the federal surge with lowering violent crime.
Trump border czar Tom Homan also singled out Chicago, telling Fox News, “Chicago is coming, along with every other sanctuary city. Get out of the way, because we’re going to do it.”
Broader Democratic Resistance
More than a dozen Democratic governors released a joint statement last week condemning Trump’s threats to deploy state National Guard units without consent. “This chaotic federal interference in our states’ National Guard must come to an end,” they said.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking in Wisconsin, said Trump preferred governors and mayors to request federal support but maintained that the administration has the legal right to intervene. He pointed to Chicago’s violent crime as justification, questioning why leaders are more upset with Trump than with their own public safety challenges.
