Chicago’s Democratic mayor is ordering local officials to resist president Donald Trump‘s planned immigration crackdown in the sanctuary city.

On Saturday, Brandon Johnson issued an executive order establishing directives for Chicago’s agencies and police department “amid rising federal government threats,” as CNN has reported.

The order specifies that Chicago law enforcement will not cooperate with federal agents on joint patrols, arrest operations, or any law enforcement duties, especially related to civil immigration enforcement.

This decision follows news that the Trump administration intends to send officers to Chicago, aiming to boost federal law enforcement in major cities governed by Democrats, as revealed by US officials to the Associated Press.

The mayor’s order mandates local authorities to explore every legal and legislative method to counteract the federal government’s coordinated efforts.

“We might witness militarized immigration enforcement. There could be National Guard troops, or even active duty military personnel with armed vehicles on our streets,” Johnson expressed before signing the order.

‘We have not called for this. Our people have not asked for this, but nevertheless, we find ourselves having to respond to this.’

Additionally, the order “encourages” local law enforcement officers to avoid wearing masks, to make use of body cameras, and to identify themselves to the public with their names and badge numbers.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a news conference to address President Donald Trump’s plan to send National Guard troops into the city on August 25, 2025 in Chicago

The Trump administration plans to surge officers to Chicago for an immigration crackdown as it looks to expand the federal law enforcement presence in major Democratic-run cities. Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting Tuesday alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L), Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (2R), and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick (R)

Trump said the Windy City would be ‘next’ target of his efforts to crack down on crime

The White House-ordered operation in Chicago, the country’s third-largest city, is expected to last about 30 days and could start as early as September 5, a Department of Homeland Security official told The Associated Press on Friday.

Another US official said the timing for what could be a sustained immigration enforcement effort resembling this summer’s operations in Los Angeles is awaiting final approval.

Chicago is home to a large immigrant population, and both the city and the state of Illinois have some of the country’s strongest rules against cooperating with federal government immigration enforcement efforts. 

That has often put the city and the state at odds with Trump’s administration as it tries to carry out his mass deportation agenda.

The Trump administration asked the military this week for use of the Naval Station Great Lakes, north of Chicago, to support immigration enforcement.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies would take part in the planned Chicago operation, according to the federal officials who spoke to The Associated Press.

Unlike the recent federal takeover of policing in Washington, it is not expected to rely on the National Guard or military and is focused exclusively on immigration instead of being cast as part of a broad campaign against crime.

Chicago has long been one of Trump’s favorite targets, with him likening it to a war zone, and this week, a ‘hellhole’.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conduct an arrest as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging immigration crackdown in Chicago on January 26

The city’s decades-old sanctuary status has also irked the Trump administration and prompted lawsuits. 

In January, Trump kicked off a nationwide crackdown on immigration in Chicago, with arrests livestreamed by television personality ‘Dr. Phil’ McGraw. 

‘Panic stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control, when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP,’ Trump posted Tuesday on his Truth Social media platform.

Mayor Johnson previously scoffed at Trump’s remarks. He conceded there was a crime spike in Chicago during the Covid-19 pandemic but hailed the city’s ‘historic progress driving down homicides by more than 30 percent and shootings by almost 40 percent in the last year alone’.

Johnson called Trump’s approach ‘uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,’ arguing it ‘has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement.’