Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) signed an executive order on Monday that effectively bans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using city-owned properties — including parking lots, garages, and vacant lots — for immigration operations. Because clearly, when your city is plagued with violent crime, the top priority should be kicking out federal agents tasked with enforcing immigration law.
This new directive prohibits ICE from staging or coordinating any operations on property owned or controlled by the City of Chicago. Effective immediately, the order is being framed as a way to protect so-called “community trust,” but let’s not kid ourselves — it’s political theater, a calculated move to appease the open-borders crowd while ignoring the very real consequences of illegal immigration on city infrastructure, public safety, and the rule of law.
Mayor Johnson didn’t hold back in his inflammatory rhetoric. At a press conference announcing the move, he slammed ICE agents as a “rogue, reckless group of heavily armed, masked individuals roaming throughout our city that are not accountable to the people of Chicago.”
Let that sink in. Federal agents enforcing federal law are now being labeled as “rogue” by a mayor whose city sees hundreds of murders and thousands of violent crimes annually. This is the same city where carjackings, shootings, and gang violence are daily occurrences — and yet somehow, ICE is the problem?
“Such use of City property undermines community trust and runs counter to Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance,” his office stated, echoing the same tired progressive talking points that have been used to shield illegal immigrants from enforcement for years.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson just announced he signed an executive order creating “ICE Free Zones” to ban ICE agents from city property.
This is SICK. He is aiding and abetting criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, traffickers, and gang bangers. pic.twitter.com/LaMbxaqePP
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 6, 2025
Of course, this all comes as part of a coordinated temper tantrum against any attempt to secure the border or enforce immigration law — especially when it comes from President Donald Trump. The timing of Johnson’s executive order is no coincidence; it followed closely behind Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s theatrical condemnation of Trump’s plan to deploy Texas National Guard troops to states like Illinois and Oregon.
Pritzker referred to the move as “Trump’s invasion,” because apparently defending the border and assisting overwhelmed immigration agencies is now tantamount to military occupation in the eyes of the Left.
Mayor Johnson piled on, stating, “We are unequivocally going to continue to reject the military occupation of our city. The Trump administration must end the war on Chicago. The Trump administration must end this war against Americans, the Trump administration must end its attempt to dismantle our democracy.”
The irony is almost too much. Chicago is a war zone — not because of Trump, but because of years of failed progressive leadership that has left law enforcement underfunded, criminals emboldened, and communities in despair. If there’s a war being waged, it’s against common sense.
The Left loves to cry about “democracy being under attack” anytime someone enforces a law they don’t like. Meanwhile, they’re actively undermining federal authority, promoting sanctuary city policies that encourage lawlessness, and refusing to cooperate with agencies trying to uphold immigration laws that have been on the books for decades.
In Johnson’s Chicago, the message is clear: If you’re a law-abiding citizen or a federal officer trying to do your job, you’re the enemy. But if you’re here illegally? Welcome home — just don’t park near a federal agent.
At the end of the day, this executive order doesn’t make Chicago safer. It doesn’t help its working-class residents, many of whom are disproportionately impacted by illegal immigration. What it does is score cheap political points while handcuffing law enforcement.
