Chicago Prepares for Federal Intervention Amid Immigration Policy Tensions
Amid rising tensions over federal immigration policies, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is gearing up for the arrival of the National Guard. In anticipation, he has issued an executive order ensuring that any external forces adhere strictly to city laws.
In response to President Trump’s stance that Chicago should enhance its crime-fighting and immigration law enforcement, the federal government plans to increase the presence of federal agents, possibly including U.S. troops. However, Mayor Johnson has made it clear that he opposes any federal attempt to utilize the Chicago Police Department for these operations. He signed an executive order on Saturday that prevents the department from cooperating with federal agents on civil immigration enforcement.
BRANDON JOHNSON: “This executive order makes it emphatically clear that this president is not going to come in and deputize our police department.”
The order mandates that Chicago police officers must wear their uniforms and refrain from wearing masks to ensure they are distinguishable from federal agents. Nevertheless, the Trump administration appears determined to proceed with plans to ramp up immigration enforcement in the city. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated on CBS’ “Face The Nation” that ICE is already active in Chicago but emphasized the need for further action.
KRISTI NOEM: “But we will continue to go after the worst of the worst across the country, like President Trump has told us to do.”
The focus on cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles was highlighted by White House border czar Tom Homan, who criticized sanctuary cities for not cooperating with ICE, stating that public safety threats are being released daily.
TOM HOMAN: “All these sanctuary cities that refuse to work with ICE, where we know public safety threats are being released every day into this country – especially those cities, we’re going to address them.”
The prospect of a federal crackdown in Chicago comes on the heels of the National Guard deployment to Washington, D.C., aimed at tackling crime. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker expressed deep concerns about the potential arrival of federal troops in Chicago, likening it to an invasion and underscoring that such actions are un-American.
JB PRITZKER: “I’m saying we don’t want troops on the streets of American cities.”
Governor Pritzker advocates for collaboration between the Trump administration and state and local officials rather than imposing federal forces against local wishes.
Joe Hernandez, NPR News.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
