With the Trump Administration’s immigration enforcement efforts in Chicago escalating, so are the city’s—and state’s—efforts to push back against them.
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday ordered the creation of “ICE-free zones” throughout the city to limit the areas where federal authorities can operate.
The same day, Illinois and Chicago sued the Administration over the deployment of National Guard troops to the city, describing it as “patently unlawful,” and asking the court to “halt the illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional federalization of members of the National Guard of the United States, including both the Illinois and Texas National Guard.” A federal judge declined to immediately block the National Guard from being sent to the city, scheduling a hearing for Thursday.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker called the deployment of federal troops to Illinois an “unconstitutional invasion” meant to “justify and normalize the presence of armed soldiers” in a press conference on Monday.
“Let me be clear, Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,” Pritzker said. He added that Chicago has seen its lowest homicide rate in 60 years, along with record employment levels.
“I refuse to let Donald Trump, Kristi Noem and Gregory Bovino continue on this march toward autocracy,” he continued, naming the Homeland Security Secretary and Border Patrol commander as well as the President. “The state of Illinois is going to use every lever at our disposal to resist this power grab and get Noem’s thugs the hell out of Chicago.”
Johnson, meanwhile, urged Chicago residents to “push back against tyranny” through political organization.
“This battle is going to take place in the courts and in our communities,” Johnson said.
Read more: ‘Military-Style’ ICE Raid On Chicago Apartment Building Shows Escalation in Trump’s Crackdown
The moves from state and…
