Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday signed an executive order establishing “ICE-free zones” across the city, restricting federal immigration agents from using public property and private businesses as staging grounds for enforcement operations.
The order applies to schools, libraries, parks, and other city-owned facilities, and invites private businesses to voluntarily join a network shielding residents from ICE actions conducted without a valid warrant.
Signs posted on city properties will read: “This property is owned and/or controlled by the City of Chicago. It may not be used for civil immigration enforcement, including as a: Staging area, processing location or operations base.”
Johnson said the move is about protecting “safety, dignity, and constitutional rights.”
“The order builds a broad civic shield that limits the reach of harmful enforcement practices,” Johnson said. “It strengthens neighborhood solidarity and reaffirms Chicago’s role as a welcoming city. We cannot allow them to rampage throughout our city with no checks or balances. Nobody is above the law. If we break the law, we should be held accountable. If Congress will not check this administration, then Chicago will.”
Johnson said the city will continue monitoring federal operations and could take additional steps if ICE ramps up enforcement. He framed the measure as a defense of due process and civil liberties, saying Chicagoans should not “live in fear of intimidation or excessive force from federal authorities.”
Watch the clip below:
🚨 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
30 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend — 5 of them died.
Johnson also bizarrely claimed that Republicans want a rematch of the Civil War; “A couple of years ago, I said very candidly that the right wing in this country wants a rematch of the Civil War,” Johnson said.
Watch the lip below:
JUST IN: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the *right* wants a “rematch” of the Civil War because ICE is deporting illegal immigrants.
“A couple of years ago, I said very candidly that the right wing in this country wants a rematch of the Civil War.”
“I want that to sit in… pic.twitter.com/wXnGSyYbME
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 6, 2025