OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:57 AM – Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Chicago Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson stated on Tuesday that the Chicago Police Department will never “cooperate” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, despite the countless times that Trump administration officials have warned that this act could lead to arrest.
A mayor can face legal trouble if they:
- Obstruct federal agents (example: by tipping off illegals about raids in a way that violates obstruction laws)
- Destroy federal records or evidence
- Violate specific court orders or federal statutes
Johnson argued that President Donald Trump’s administration has caused “so much consternation and division” as a result of the mass deportation campaign.
“You know, again, it’s unconscionable at a time in which so many working people and poor people need government to show up for them, that this administration, the Trump administration, has caused so much consternation and division,” Johnson stated during a press conference.
Johnson had been responding to a question regarding whether the city would utilize local law enforcement to “protect” students from federal immigration raids.
“Look, we are welcoming city ordinance,” Johnson continued. “Our local police department will not ever cooperate with ICE, whatever their constitutional authority is. That is obviously relegated to the Trump administration. All of our sister agencies, city departments have been thoroughly briefed by a corporate counsel, and I’ll pass it over to her in a second about what they can and cannot do.”
As the city of Chicago allowed in over 51,000 illegal aliens since August 31, 2022, Johnson urged Chicago residents to “rise up” against ICE.
“This is a necessary fight for all of us to be able to push back,” Johnson stated in June. “Whether we use the courts or whether we continue to protest and raise our voices, dissent matters in this moment.”
“It’s a war on our culture. It’s a war on our democracy. It’s a war on our humanity,” he added. “I am counting on all of Chicago to resist in this moment, because, whatever particular vulnerable group is being targeted today, another group will be next. … None of us are immune from this disease.”
Johnson’s comment comes as funding for ICE skyrocketed following the passage of President Trump’s spending bill, further increasing the capacity for ICE to conduct raids against illegal immigrants across the nation.
Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson slammed Democrats who prioritize and “defend violent criminal illegal aliens over American citizens.”
“Democrat politicians are desperate to defend violent criminal illegal aliens over American citizens. It’s wrong. And it’s why the American people rejected the Democrats in November and sent President Trump back to the White House,” she told Fox News Digital.
“No matter how much Democrats try to defend criminal illegal aliens, President Trump and his Administration will always fight to protect the American people,” Jackson added. “President Trump is committed to carrying out the largest mass deportation operation in history by specifically targeting dangerous sanctuary cities that provide safe harbor to criminal illegals.”
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