Video above: Chicagoans support national shutdown to protest ICE funding
CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed an executive order directing Chicago police to document and investigate alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents.
On Saturday, Johnson signed EO 2026-01, also known as the “ICE On Notice” executive order, which also directs local law enforcement to refer evidence of felony violations by federal agents to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
“Nobody is above the law. There is no such thing as ‘absolute immunity’ in America,” Mayor Johnson said. “The lawlessness of Trump’s militarized immigration agents puts the lives and well-being of every Chicagoan in immediate danger. With today’s order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents.”
According to the mayor’s office, the order “creates a framework for public accountability in the event federal agents violate local or state law while operating in Chicago.”
The mayor’s office said if CPD personnel observe or receive reports of violations of state or local law by federal agents, they must:
- Document federal enforcement activities
- Ensure that any body-camera footage captured during the incident is preserved.
- Seek to identify the federal supervisory officer on scene, attempt to verify the supervisory officer’s name and badge number, and record the credential verification using body-cameras—including any refusal to comply.
- Complete a report on any violation.
- Immediately call for emergency medical services and render aid to any injured person on the scene.
Johnson said Chicago is the first city in the nation to leverage local authority to pursue legal accountability for misconduct by federal immigration agents.
However, Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke posted on social media saying her office did not receive the executive order until it was released to the public.
“We do not provide legal approval of any matter until we’ve reviewed it. On such a critical issue, it’s important we get it right,” Burke wrote.
