Mayor Brandon Johnson signed a sweeping but largely symbolic executive order Saturday afternoon to protect residents’ rights in preparation for federal agents possibly arriving in Chicago. The order also seeks to bar any federal agents working in Chicago from wearing masks, and to require them to wear badges and other identifying information.
The Democratic mayor’s signing of the “Protecting Chicago Initiative” comes amid growing concerns of a military deployment to America’s third-largest city as soon as Friday. The order seeks to ensure that residents know their rights, and every part of the city government is directed to protect residents from federal action, the mayor said at a news conference.
“We have not called for this. Our people have not asked for this, but nevertheless, we find ourselves having to respond to this,” Johnson said.
The mayor’s order “demands” the Trump administration to “stand down from any attempts to deploy the U.S. Armed Forces—including the National Guard—in Chicago.”
“The City will pursue all available legal and legislative avenues to counter coordinated efforts from the federal government that violate the rights of the City and its residents, including the Constitutional rights to peacefully assemble and protest and the right to due process,” the order states. “Consistent with local, state, and federal law, all City departments are prohibited from participating in any enforcement actions aimed at violating Chicagoan’s rights to peacefully assemble and protest.”
It also prohibits Chicago police officers from wearing any “mask, covering or disguise while performing their official duties” except for medical masks, riot helmets, or respirators if needed for health or safety reasons.
“Officers may not use such equipment for the purpose of concealing identity,” the order states, adding that federal agents and any military troops in Chicago are “urged to adhere to these requirements to protect public safety and promote accountability.”
Police officers, federal agents, and members of the military also should clearly display identifying information displaying their agency, last name, and badge number or rank.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and other federal agents have routinely worn masks and not clearly identified themselves as they have carried out the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
In addition to the requirements for law enforcement, the mayor’s order directs the city’s departments to regularly submit Freedom of Information Act requests to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to obtain information on ICE and Customs and Border Protection activity in Chicago.
City departments and agencies are also instructed to provide easily accessible information regarding Chicago residents’ rights when encountering immigration enforcement activities near schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, places of worship, and other sensitive locations.
The first-term mayor said he’s received “highly credible reports” that federal agents would arrive in the city in a matter of days. However, he did not say exactly when agents will arrive or how that may look.
“Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury of time,” Johnson said. “We have received credible reports that we have days, not weeks, before our city sees some sort type of militarized activity by the federal government.”
Johnson mentioned that Chicago police officers will be in their uniforms and refrain from wearing masks. They will also not collaborate with federal agents.
In response to Johnson’s executive order, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “If these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of doing publicity stunts to criticize the President, their communities would be much safer.”
“They should listen to fellow Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser, who recently celebrated the Trump Administration’s success in driving down violent crime in Washington, D.C.,” Jackson said, in part.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump deployed members of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and ordered the federal government to take control of the D.C. police as part of a push to crack down on crime, despite data showing crime has declined in the city in recent years. He argued that the numbers are “phony.”
“We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad. You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is,” the president said at the time.
In an interview with CBS News on Friday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called the possibility of sending federal agents to the city an “invasion,” arguing President Trump has “other aims” aside from cracking down on crime.
There are also concerns from officials and Chicagoans that operations in the city could look similar to what occurred in Los Angeles during the spring, which included armored trucks and armed federal agents as they carried out immigration arrests.
It sparked days of protests and eventually the deployment of the National Guard by the federal government over the protests of state and local leaders in California.
Johnson mentioned that he’s been in communication with the mayor in L.A. on the handling of federal agents.
“The time for action is now,” he said.
