Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson urged city residents on Wednesday to “resist” the Trump administration as it escalates its immigration enforcement operations nationwide, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Speaking at a Wednesday news conference, Johnson condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy federal troops to help control the riots in Los Angeles, which were triggered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the city. The mayor referred to the federal crackdown as a “war on our culture” and urged city residents to take action, the Tribune reported.
“I am counting on all of Chicago to resist in this moment. Because whatever particular vulnerable group is targeted today, another group will be next,” Johnson said, according to the Tribune. “This is a necessary fight for all of us to be able to push back. Whether we use the courts or whether we continue to protest or raise our voices, dissent matters in this moment. Look, [Trump] is abusing his power. We warned people though. You all know we warned people.” (RELATED: DOJ Probing Chicago Over Potentially Discriminatory Hiring Practices)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 10: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Image contains profanity.) A man runs over a police squad car sprayed with graffiti during an immigrant rights protest in the Loop on June 10, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Johnson’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
City officials expect ICE raids in Chicago to ramp up imminently, the Tribune reported. Johnson’s chief of staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, told reporters that federal agents are expected to target workplaces and will deploy “tactical teams” and “mini tanks” throughout the city.
There were approximately 425,000 illegal immigrants in Illinois in 2019, before the surge of illegal border crossings under the Biden administration. Despite facing a budget shortfall of over $1 billion, Chicago has spent over $600 million in public funds on supporting migrants since 2022.
On Tuesday, seventeen people were arrested after anti-ICE demonstrators flooded downtown Chicago. Demonstrators clashed with police officers, and some vandalized buses and police vehicles.
Chicago police have stated they will not assist in immigration enforcement. Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling reaffirmed that local officers are not coordinating with federal authorities, saying that doing so is “not something we do,” according to the Tribune. (RELATED: How Well-Funded, Organized Leftists Helped Jumpstart LA Riots)
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul also weighed in, criticizing Trump’s use of the military to quell the violence at the Los Angeles protest.
“The president’s decision to federalize and deploy California’s National Guard without the consent of California state leaders is unlawful, unconstitutional and undemocratic,” Kwame said in a joint statement with 18 other Democratic attorneys general. “The federal administration should be working with local leaders to keep everyone safe, not mobilizing the military against the American people.”
Meanwhile, California’s Democratic leaders are shifting the blame for the violent demonstrations. Gov. Newsom recently claimed the president’s actions were “traumatizing our communities,” while Rep. Maxine Waters told CNN on Wednesday that Trump “started” the protests.
On Thursday, Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker appeared before the House Oversight Committee, along with Democratic governors of other “sanctuary states,” including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, to defend their policies.
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