Mayor Brandon Johnson said he will not direct the Chicago Police Department to collaborate with ICE to deport people.
The incoming Trump administration has threatened to target so-called ‘sanctuary cities.’
During the City Council meeting, Johnson delivered his first comments regarding the outcome of the presidential race. He stated that the city will not permit Chicago Police officers to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in deporting Chicago residents. This assistance is now prohibited by city ordinance.
“We will not bend or break,” Johnson said. “Our values will remain strong and firm. We will face likely hurdles in our work over the next four years but we will not be stopped and we will not go back.”
When asked specifically about a promise by Trump’s selected border czar, Tom Homan, that ICE agents will double their presence in sanctuary cities, Mayor Johnson said he is prepared to resist their efforts.
“We’re going to defend the people of this city because his attack, let’s be very clear — the president-elect, former President Trump, his threat is not just toward new arrivals, and undocumented families” Mayor Johnson said. “His threats are also against Black families.”
Johnson said he was prepared to fight any effort to stop federal funds from flowing to Chicago because it will not cooperate with mass deportation efforts, and would work to stop the arrival of immigration agents.
