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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson escalated sanctuary city policies Monday by signing an executive order designating city property as “ICE-free zones,” while Illinois and Chicago filed lawsuits to prevent President Trump from deploying National Guard troops to address anti-ICE protests.
The mayor accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of conducting “a forceful display of tyranny” and banned federal agents from using city property and unwilling businesses as staging grounds for immigration operations, declaring “ICE lies, and people die.”
The legal action comes as Trump called up National Guard troops for deployment to Illinois, arguing local officials have failed to adequately protect ICE agents conducting Operation Midway Blitz, a month-long surge in immigration arrests. Illinois and Chicago’s lawsuit blames the president for escalating what had been minor protests into significant civil unrest.
Similar conflicts are unfolding in Portland, Oregon, where Trump also attempted troop deployment. Federal Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, issued two restraining orders blocking the effort, ruling that ongoing anti-ICE protests don’t constitute an emergency justifying National Guard intervention. Her Sunday order temporarily enjoined the deployment of federalized National Guard members in Oregon.
Trump indicated he retains additional authority through the Insurrection Act, stating he would invoke it if necessary to overcome legal obstacles, particularly “if people were being killed, and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up.” The president justified deployments under federal law permitting military action during invasion, rebellion, or when regular forces cannot execute their mission.
The administration argues it has needed to redirect agents from other locations to protect ICE and Customs and Border Protection operations in Illinois and Oregon, demonstrating insufficient regular forces. Judge Immergut rejected this reasoning, concluding ICE has successfully conducted operations despite protests.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul similarly argued protests outside ICE’s Broadview processing facility haven’t disrupted the administration’s major enforcement operation. The Democratic attorney general blamed federal authorities for inflaming tensions, accusing Homeland Security of distorting facts about a migrant’s shooting death and employing “provocative displays of force.” Raoul also alleged federal agents used “chemical munitions” to attack protesters, prompting local police to open a criminal investigation.
Mayor Johnson characterized ICE as “a rogue, reckless group of heavily armed, masked individuals roaming throughout our city that are not accountable to the people of Chicago.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration, calling Judge Immergut’s ruling “untethered in reality and in the law,” noting the ICE facility has been “under siege by these anarchists” for over 100 days.
Trump previously deployed National Guard troops and active-duty Marines in Los Angeles, where the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district judge’s injunction. He has appealed Judge Immergut’s Oregon ruling to the same court.
Read more: Illinois sues to stop Trump from sending in National Guard
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