Updated January 21, 2025 at 12:28 PM ET
President Trump wasted no time after taking the oath of office in declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border.
But many of the new administration's most disruptive immigration enforcement actions are likely to take place hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Over the weekend, plans that some immigrants living in Chicago without legal status would be among the first targeted were leaked. The city of about 2.6 million people drew national attention over the last two years, as some 50,000 mostly Venezuelan migrant arrivals tested the city's ability to respond. The number of arrivals has fallen sharply.
Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan said the plan to start in Chicago was being reconsidered after the leak.
Still, immigrant rights activists have been working to educate local immigrant residents about their legal rights if they are detained or questioned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Chicago and Illinois laws prevent local law enforcement from asking about a person's immigration status, detaining them because they lack status, and most notably, largely bar officers from cooperating with federal agents. There is an exception if ICE agents are looking individuals with federal criminal warrants.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told NPR's A Martínez that it's his job to protect residents "whether you're undocumented, whether you are seeking asylum or whether you're seeking a good paying job."
"We're going to fight and stand up for working people. That's what Chicago is known for," Johnson said. "We're going to continue to do that regardless of who's in the White House."
Johnson spoke to Morning Edition to discuss how his city is preparing for these enforcement actions and how the local laws work.
A Martínez: Mayor, do you know why Chicago would have been singled out?
Brandon Johnson: First of all, I'm grateful that the city of Chicago has an incredible love story, a history that our city is very proud of. It's a city that was established by a Black Haitian immigrant, as well as a Pottawattamie woman. And it's a city that has been built by, again, immigrants, migrants, asylum seekers, Indigenous people, descendants of slaves. As the mayor of the city of Chicago, I reaffirmed our commitment to being a sanctuary city, also pledging to defend the Illinois Trust Act as a sanctuary state to ensure that all residents rights are protected. And we are serving the interests of working people every single day in this beloved city.
Martínez: Now, how is Chicago then preparing for the possibility that mass deportation raids could begin as soon as today?
Johnson: As a welcoming city and as a sanctuary city, we are firm in that our police department will not intervene or participate in any way as federal agents. None of our sister agencies or our city departments will cooperate or intervene in any way or any shape or any form.
Martínez: But can you stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
Johnson: If they come in with warrants, if they come in with their authority – no, we won't intervene or support in any way. But what I can say is that we have worked with community-based organizations as well as other stakeholders, so that the people of Chicago know their rights. And that's the part that's most important here. People can continue to go to work, they can go to school, they can use our public facilities without the fear of local police departments giving access to these federal agents to disrupt the flow and what we're doing in Chicago.
Martínez: Mayor, I know that you released guidelines on how to handle visits from ICE should they enter city property. One thing in particular caught my eye. It read that city employees are not to consent to ICE entering any "private or sensitive locations." What are private and sensitive locations?
Johnson: We know that many of our new arrivals and undocumented families rely upon the faith community and other community based organizations. They seek health care. They seek access to child care. We're assuring the people of this city that we're going to protect their rights. And that's what I've been charged to do as mayor of Chicago. And that includes education rights. As the president has made it very clear, he doesn't believe in public accommodations. He wants to shut down the Department of Education. He doesn't believe in climate change. All rights that the people of Chicago deserve, as mayor of the city of Chicago, I'm going to protect those. Whether you're undocumented, whether you are seeking asylum or whether you're seeking a good paying job, we're going to fight and stand up for working people. That's what Chicago is known for. We're going to continue to do that regardless of who's in the White House.
Martínez: Does that mean you would try to stop ICE by not consenting? Is that fair to interpret?
Johnson: The law that we have passed in Chicago, our welcoming city ordinance, as well as Illinois Trust Act, gives us the authority to ensure that in sensitive places and public accommodations, that there are rights that these individuals have. We're going to make sure we protect those rights.
Martínez: I wonder if you've spoken to other mayors, maybe comparing notes on how to go forward on this?
Johnson: I was just in D.C. with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. And I've spoken to the mayor of Denver, spoken to the mayor of Atlanta. And there are certainly mayors who live in red states, who understand that their economy is moved by undocumented individuals. And whether you are in St. Louis, whether you're in Kansas City or Baltimore or anywhere else in this country, the contributions that undocumented families and immigrant families have provided to our economy is one that is quite clear.
Martínez: If these raids were to focus on people with criminal convictions, would you support that?
Johnson: Those individuals would be subject to the law. The federal law provides that type of investigation. Remember, this has happened under previous administrations. Whether it's President Obama or President Biden, this is not anything new. I think what President Trump is attempting to do is create hyperbolic fear and tension in this country. And that's not what we need right now. We need someone who's going to be committed to standing up for working people. That's what I'm doing in Chicago, building more affordable homes, creating opportunities for our young people, providing more access to health care, particularly behavioral mental health care. And all of those investments have driven crime down in our city.
That's how we build a better, stronger city, and that's how we provide a more inclusive economy. That's what this president should be focusing in on in this moment.
This article was edited by Treye Green.
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