Mayor Johnson Bans Federal Immigration Operations from City Property with New Executive Order

Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Tuesday prohibiting federal immigration agents from using any city-owned property for enforcement operations, according to a city announcement.

The “ICE Free Zone” order requires all city departments and agencies to identify properties that have been or could be used for federal immigration enforcement and install clear signage within five days stating the property cannot serve as staging areas, processing locations or operations bases for civil immigration enforcement.

“We will not tolerate ICE agents violating our residents’ constitutional rights nor will we allow the federal government to disregard our local authority,” Johnson said in the announcement. “ICE agents are detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents. We will not stand for that in our city.”

The executive order follows documented incidents where federal agents used Chicago Public Schools parking lots and a city-owned parking lot at Harrison and Kedzie as staging sites for immigration enforcement operations, according to the city. These actions violated Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, the announcement stated. As previously reported, such enforcement actions have had devastating impacts on Chicago residents, including cases like that of a Little Village man who was deported under gang labels and had to rebuild his life abroad.

City departments must implement physical barriers such as locked gates where possible to limit access to city property for federal immigration enforcement purposes, according to the order. City employees are directed to immediately report any attempted use of city property for immigration enforcement to the mayor’s office and Corporation Counsel.

The measure expands Johnson’s Protecting Chicago initiative, which the city describes as inviting local businesses and community organizations to join efforts to safeguard communities while advancing measures to address federal immigration agents’ behavior.

According to the city announcement, federal agents have been captured on video deploying tear gas outside a public school, acting outside their jurisdiction while putting a resident in a chokehold, and handcuffing a sitting Chicago City Council member in widely reported incidents.

The order aims to maintain trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement while ensuring residents can safely access city services, according to the announcement. The city stated that using municipal resources for federal immigration enforcement erodes trust between immigrant communities and the city, weakening relationships essential for community safety and constitutional policing.

Under the new directive, city properties will display signage stating: “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, Operations base.”

The mayor’s office will design and distribute official signage as part of the initiative, according to the announcement.

Johnson positioned the executive order as part of broader city efforts to protect constitutional rights of all Chicago residents regardless of race, religion, immigration status or national origin. The city characterized the measure as taking “swift and decisive action” to prevent federal overreach and protect the safety, dignity and human rights of every Chicagoan.

The order enables increased community participation in the Protecting Chicago initiative, according to the city. The initiative represents what the administration describes as proactive steps to maintain essential trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement.

The executive order comes amid what the city calls an “ongoing incursion on the Constitutional rights of Chicagoans” through federal immigration operations designed to create fear in communities across Chicago.

City officials stated the measure demonstrates Chicago’s commitment to protecting immigrant communities and upholding constitutional rights for all residents while asserting local authority against federal enforcement actions on city property.