Tensions are escalating between Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), and the Trump administration.
With Trump’s White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller delivering strong remarks as of late and promising to rid American streets of crime, liberal cities have been put on notice that the federal government finally wants to put an end to the dangers of gang activity and criminality.
‘Being a welcoming city means being a city that embraces people equally with open arms.’
Chicago has been known as a dangerous city for decades, but now that the feds are stepping in, Democrats are getting in the way. Chicago has a detailed history of supporting illegal immigrants on the municipal level. Here’s how:
The beginning of sanctuary city policies
Chicago’s sanctuary city status dates all the way back to 1985, when Mayor Harold Washington (D) signed an executive order that stated city workers could not ask people about their immigration status.
The city joined other liberal strongholds like Cambridge, Massachusetts; St. Paul, Minnesota; as well as California cities Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Francisco, and Berkeley.
That year, an estimated 80,000 people from Guatemala and El Salvador lived in San Francisco.
The Welcoming City Ordinance
In 2012, Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) all but officially made Chicago a sanctuary city with the Welcoming City Ordinance. Using careful terms, the ordinance implemented protections for illegal aliens “who have not been convicted of a serious crime and are not wanted on a criminal warrant.”
Ironically, Emanuel said the city was “welcoming those who play by the rules,” but forced Chicago police to train with “immigrant advocacy groups to build trust within immigrant communities.”
The ordinance is still promoted today, with Chicago boasting that it prohibits city employees from assisting in the investigation of a person’s immigration status, absent a federal or court order.
RELATED: Texas National Guard deployed to Chicago amid increasing left-wing violence
People lock arms as residents of Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood confront ICE agents in 2025. Photo by OCTAVIO JONES/AFP via Getty Images
Lori Lightfoot blocks cops from helping ICE
In 2021, Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) updated the Welcoming City Ordinance to target police activity and even limit their ability to assist in federal investigations.
According to the Chicago Police Department, the update declared that police could no longer detain, arrest, or hold anyone based on their immigration status or civil immigration warrants. It also prevented police from transferring criminals into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for immigration enforcement.
The update even removed the use of the word “citizen” from official city forms, replacing it with “person” or “resident.”
“Being a welcoming city means being a city that embraces people equally with open arms, where no one has to fear being their authentic self, walking down the street, doing business, earning a living and taking care of their family,” the mayor said at the time, per ABC 7.
City council blocks effort to deport gang members and drug dealers
In January 2025, Chicago’s city council voted 39-11 to prevent a vote on allowing police to cooperate with federal authorities in apprehending individuals accused of certain crimes.
Police would have been allowed to work with ICE in relation to gang-related activities such as intimidation, loitering, and recruitment; drug dealing; prostitution; and sex crimes involving minors.
The measure was tabled, though, and Mayor Johnson supported the decision with the claim Chicago emphasizes community safety and trust.
Campaign to inform illegal aliens
That same month, Mayor Johnson launched an informational campaign for illegal immigrants to “Know Your Rights.”
Written in foreign languages like Spanish and Chinese, the city targeted public transit with ads to help illegal residents know their way around legal situations.
Mayor Johnson said he was rejecting intimidation tactics from the Trump administration and reaffirmed that Chicago would remain a “welcoming and sanctuary space.”
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson 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, Illinois. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.
Work permits for illegal aliens?
Mayor Johnson asked President Biden in 2024 to help him secure work permits for illegal aliens in Chicago.
This was one of Johnson’s priorities on the first anniversary of taking office. Johnson worked with activist groups to attempt to extend permits to those who the city claimed have paid taxes in the U.S. for decades, not new arrivals.
While it was unclear whether the taxes referred to sales taxes or income tax paid through fraudulent identities, Johnson said he wanted to “extend the same economic opportunities to our long-term undocumented brothers and sisters.”
Thankfully, his bid was unsuccessful.
Suing the Trump administration
Chicago and Illinois sued the Trump administration just this week over plans to deploy the National Guard to the city. The “deployment of federalized troops to Illinois is patently unlawful,” the lawsuit stated, per CNN.
The plaintiffs further asked the court to put a stop to the “illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional federalization of members of the National Guard of the United States, including both the Illinois and Texas National Guard.”
Trump deployed 400 troops from the Texas National Guard to Chicago recently, as ICE agents have been under attack during ongoing protests and riots outside ICE facilities. The lawsuit also asked the court to declare the federalization of National Guardsmen illegal.
President Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth were all named as defendants.
‘ICE-free zones’
Stunningly, Mayor Johnson announced “ICE-free zones” in October 2025, allegedly aimed at “reining in” the Trump administration.
“The order establishes ICE-free zones. That means that city property and unwilling private businesses will no longer serve as staging grounds for [ICE] raids,” the mayor claimed.
Johnson said ICE agents would not be allowed to “rampage” through the city. The mayor also said he wished to strengthen Chicago’s role as a “welcoming city.”
The mayor claimed the move was in reaction to ICE using Chicago Public Schools’ parking lots as staging sites for enforcement operations, though whether federal immigration agents have used schools during operations is unclear.
In remarks to Blaze News, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that Mayor Johnson’s demonization of ICE agents has increased assaults against them by “1,000%.”
She added, “Mayor Johnson has shown time and time again he does not care about the safety of our federal law enforcement officers or Chicagoans. … His reckless policies not only endanger our law enforcement, but public safety.”
Blaze News has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.
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Chicago, News, Brandon johnson, Lori lightfoot, Illinois, Illegal aliens, Immigration, Ice, Illegal immigration, Sanctuary cities, Politics
