❓WHAT HAPPENED: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) admitted he is in regular communication with other mayors of so-called “sanctuary cities” to impede federal immigration enforcement.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Democratic Mayors Brandon Johnson (Chicago), Jacob Frey (Minneapolis), Michelle Wu (Boston), and others, alongside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Johnson revealed the coordination among Democrat mayors at a press conference on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
💬KEY QUOTE: “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.” – Brandon Johnson
🎯IMPACT: The remarks allude to an organized effort by Democrat sanctuary city mayors to actively obstruct and interfere with federal immigration enforcement operations beyond refusing to cooperate with ICE detainers.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) said Wednesday that he has been in “regular communication” with other mayors of so-called sanctuary cities to coordinate responses to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Johnson said cities including Minneapolis, Portland, Oakland, Boston, Denver, and Baltimore are sharing strategies. He specifically credited Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) for offering guidance, saying, “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 pointed to Chicago’s creation of “ICE-Free Zones” as a cornerstone of its approach. The policy bars ICE and Border Patrol agents from using city-owned property or entering it 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… This had not been done anywhere in the country…,” Johnson said.
The mayor said Chicago is preparing other actions aimed at federal agents, adding, “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 has previously threatened legal consequences for agents accused of wrongdoing during enforcement actions.
Brandon Johnson says Chicago will hold ICE/CBP officers accountable for “criminal misconduct.”
“Nobody is above the law.”
The left wants to go after Americans enforcing immigration law while protecting the foreign nationals that broke it.
Simple as that. pic.twitter.com/EDiVyWQGdb
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) January 28, 2026
The comments come amid rising tensions tied to immigration enforcement nationwide. In Minneapolis, two fatal shootings occurred during confrontations involving Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel and anti-ICE activists. Other cities have seen violent incidents as well. In Portland, anti-ICE rioters targeted an ICE facility and allegedly planned to use lasers against federal law enforcement aircraft. In Chicago, ICE agents have reported vehicle ramming attempts and gunfire during operations.
Chicago has been at the center of immigration controversies under Johnson’s leadership. In 2025, he drew criticism after calling the term “illegal alien” “racist” and “nasty,” arguing the city should use “undocumented” instead. That same year, a Cook County grand jury declined to indict several armed anti-ICE agitators accused of violent conduct during protests.
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