Chicago Mayor Signs Executive Order Directing Police to Investigate Alleged Misconduct by Federal Immigration Agents

Chicago Issues Executive Order on Federal Immigration Agents

On a Saturday in Chicago, Illinois, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order directing the Chicago Police Department to investigate and document alleged misconduct by federal immigration officers. Johnson stated that the action was aimed at laying the groundwork to prosecute US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Border Patrol agents for criminal misconduct. He said this order would make Chicago the first city in the United States to establish such groundwork.

Directive to Chicago Police Department

According to Mayor Johnson, the executive order requires the Chicago Police Department to document federal enforcement actions involving immigration officers. The order directs officers to preserve body-camera footage, attempt to identify the federal supervisory officer present at the scene of an incident, and complete a report on the alleged misconduct. It also instructs officers to immediately summon emergency medical services when such incidents occur.

Johnson further stated that, in the event of what he described as illegal misconduct by federal immigration agents, Chicago Police Department supervisors are to preserve evidence of the incident. He said they are also to make referrals of felony matters to the Cook County State’s Attorney. The mayor added that the department had been directed to issue guidance and procedures to implement the order within 30 days.

Federal and Local Responses

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin responded by email to Johnson’s action, stating that claims of criminal misconduct by ICE law enforcement are false. The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE and the Border Patrol, said its personnel receive regular training and are held to what it described as the highest professional standard. The department also stated that local officials have been unwilling to work with them, and cited sanctuary city policies in that context.

John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 in Chicago, reacted in an email by dismissing the executive order. Tom Homan, identified as former President Donald Trump’s border czar, acknowledged on a Thursday that an immigration enforcement effort in Minnesota needed to be fixed. He said his team was working on a drawdown plan there and on sharpening the focus of operations on undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Homan stated that not everything done in Minnesota had been perfect and that certain improvements could and should be made.

Incidents Cited by Mayor Johnson

Mayor Johnson cited several incidents involving federal immigration officers to support the order. He referred to fatal shootings in Minnesota, including the death of Alex Pretti on January 7, which occurred during a federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. A video analysis, according to a description in the text, appeared to show a federal officer taking a gun away from Pretti shortly before the fatal shooting. Pretti was identified as the second Minnesotan to be killed by federal agents in the state that year.

Johnson also mentioned two incidents in the Chicago area. In one September incident in a Chicago suburb, a man identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez allegedly resisted arrest and dragged an officer during a vehicle stop. DHS stated that Villegas-Gonzalez was an undocumented immigrant. The officer involved, whose name was not released, was hospitalized with injuries and later released, according to an ICE spokesperson.

In another Chicago incident on October 4, a 30-year-old US citizen named Marimar Martinez was shot by a US Customs and Border Protection agent after a collision between her vehicle and a federal law enforcement vehicle. A federal criminal complaint accused Martinez of ramming her car into the law enforcement vehicle. A Department of Homeland Security official referred to her as a domestic terrorist. Charges against Martinez were later dismissed after prosecutors filed a motion to drop the case.

Ongoing Legal and Policy Developments

Mayor Johnson framed the executive order as part of an effort to hold federal immigration agents accountable through local legal mechanisms in Chicago, Illinois. He stated that the order was part of what he called a nationwide effort. The order establishes procedures for Chicago police officers and supervisors to follow when they encounter or document alleged misconduct by federal immigration personnel within the city.