By Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Wednesday that he is actively coordinating with Democratic mayors across several major U.S. cities to develop strategies aimed at countering federal immigration enforcement operations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club, Johnson said he has been in regular contact with leaders including Jacob Frey and Michelle Wu, as well as mayors and senior staff in Portland, Oakland, Denver, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. He described the coordination as taking place at both executive and staff levels as cities exchange information on how to respond to stepped-up federal actions, according to The Daily Caller.
“To respond to the operation in Chicago, I leaned heavily on other cities’ responses, like Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass shared her experience governing while the city was in Trump’s crosshairs,” Johnson stated. “We’ve been in regular communication both at the executive level and the staff level with cities like Minneapolis and Portland, Oakland, Boston, and Denver and Baltimore to learn from each other’s experiences and develop strategies to protect our constituents.”
It’s a major change in tune for Johnson, who in 2023 begged the Biden administration for help with housing migrants. “All of our cities have reached a point where we are either close to capacity, or nearly out of room,” Chicago Mayor Johnson said at the time.
The remarks come amid renewed tensions over immigration enforcement under Donald Trump, who has recently called on Truth Social for the elimination of so-called sanctuary cities. The renewed push follows a series of high-profile and violent incidents tied to immigration enforcement activity, particularly in Minneapolis, that have intensified public scrutiny.
In early January, Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent during an encounter. Later in the month, Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen described by neighbors as involved in anti-ICE monitoring efforts, was killed in a confrontation with Border Patrol agents after his gun discharged after being disarmed by the officers. Pretti had a concealed carry permit, and the agents involved were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Bystander video circulated online has raised questions about initial federal accounts of the incident, including statements from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Those events have fueled protests and the growth of so-called rapid-response networks that track ICE activity, circulate officer locations, and mobilize crowds to intervene in arrests—sometimes leading to clashes with federal authorities.
Johnson pointed to steps Chicago has already taken to restrict federal immigration activity within the city. He highlighted an executive order he signed establishing “ICE-Free Zones,” which bars ICE and Border Patrol agents from staging on or entering city property without a judicial warrant.
“In August, we signed our most sweeping executive order. This executive order established what we call ICE-Free Zones, essentially prohibiting ICE and Border Patrol from staging on city properties and entering city properties without a judicial warrant,” Johnson said. “This had not been done anywhere in the country, so we had to work closely with our law department, our police department, and outside advisors to ultimately build out the infrastructure to produce and distribute ICE-free zone signage and accountability measures.”
Johnson said additional actions are being prepared. “We are working on additional measures that we believe will make Chicago the first city in the country to be able to effectively hold ICE and Border Patrol officers accountable for criminal misconduct,” he added.
Other Democratic-led cities have adopted similar approaches. Boston has maintained policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and is currently facing a lawsuit from the Department of Justice. Minneapolis officials have also stated publicly that local police will not assist federal immigration operations.
Anti-ICE crowd chants “Arrest ICE!” and “Shoot ICE!” towards agents at the ICE facility in Broadview, IL.
One guy takes it further by adding, “Shoot the fu*kers! Shoot the fu*kers!”@theblaze pic.twitter.com/QjMXQip535
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) September 26, 2025
In Chicago, tensions have escalated further as ICE agents have reportedly faced attacks, including gunfire and vehicle-ramming incidents, while anti-ICE demonstrators have targeted facilities and called for increasingly aggressive responses against officers.
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