The mayor of Chicago has issued an order outlining the city’s strategy to resist a potential immigration crackdown threatened by the Trump administration. Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, stated, “We do not need nor want an unconstitutional and illegal military occupation of our city.” The order instructs city agencies on how to respond to possible immigration enforcement actions.
Trump has already deployed about 2,000 troops to Washington D.C. and has threatened to extend the order to Chicago, which he claims is a “mess.” Additionally, there are reports that the administration plans to send a surge of federal immigration agents to the city. A White House spokesperson described Johnson’s order as “a publicity stunt.”
This order is the latest development in an ongoing dispute between the White House and Illinois state and local officials regarding violent crime and immigration. The order demands that Trump and federal agents cease all efforts to deploy the U.S. Armed Forces in the city.
The order also reinforces existing city policies, including the requirement for law enforcement officers to wear body cameras and identifying information, and a ban on wearing masks. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have faced criticism in other cities for concealing their identities. Johnson stated that city officials will help residents understand their rights if they encounter immigration enforcement, and ruled out allowing local officers to participate in joint patrols with federal agents.
Local officials estimate that more than one in five residents is an immigrant, with the majority coming from Latin American countries. It is unclear how many of these individuals are living in Chicago without official documentation. Trump, a Republican, has described America’s third-largest city as “a killing field,” arguing that crime in the city constitutes an emergency.
His threats to deploy the National Guard have been called an abuse of power by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat. Pritzker stated, “Donald Trump is attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson accused Chicago officials of turning the fight against crime into a partisan issue, stating that if these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of criticizing the President, their communities would be much safer.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr6d5jm50do?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
