By Eniola Amadu
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Saturday signed an executive order designed to protect residents’ rights as federal agents prepared to deploy to the city within days.
The directive, titled the Protecting Chicago Initiative, instructed all arms of the city government to safeguard residents from federal actions.
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It also made clear that Chicago police would not cooperate with federal agents, requiring officers to appear in uniform and without masks to ensure transparency.
“We have not called for this. Our people have not asked for this. Nevertheless, we find ourselves having to respond,” Johnson said at the signing ceremony.
He revealed that he had received “highly credible reports” of an imminent federal deployment, warning: “We have days, not weeks, before our city sees some sort of militarised activity by the federal government.”
Fears have mounted that Chicago could witness operations similar to those in Los Angeles, where armoured vehicles and heavily armed agents carried out immigration arrests, triggering protests and prompting the deployment of the National Guard.
Johnson confirmed he had spoken with Los Angeles officials about their experience.
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The executive order came as state and city leaders braced for possible clashes with federal forces amid Trump administration plans to intensify immigration enforcement in Democratic-run “sanctuary cities.”
