The Chicago Police Department will be barred from helping federal authorities with civil immigration enforcement or any related patrols, traffic stops and checkpoints during the surge, according to an executive order signed by Mayor Brandon Johnson.

The mayor directed all city departments to guard the constitutional rights of Chicago residents “amidst the possibility of imminent militarised immigration or National Guard deployment by the federal government.”

Johnson had harsh words for Trump during his news conference, accusing the president of “behaving outside the bounds of the Constitution” and seeking a federal presence in blue cities as retribution against his political rivals.

“He is reckless and out of control,” Johnson said.

“He’s the biggest threat to our democracy that we’ve experienced in the history of our country.”

In response, the White House insisted the potential flood of federal agents was about “cracking down on crime.”

“If these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of doing publicity stunts to criticise the President, their communities would be much safer,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in an email.