Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago has revealed on Saturday that the police will not work with national guard troops or federal agents if the president of the United States, Donald Trump, sends them to the city.
Standing with other city leaders, Johnson signed an executive order to prepare Chicago for any federal execution operation, similar to those Trump has carried out in Los Angeles and Washington, while urging the president to reconsider.
“It’s about making sure we are prepared,” Johnson said by signing the order, adding that he provides “real and clear orientation” to city workers and “all Chicago how we can face this tyranny.”
The order establishes that the Chicago Police will continue to enforce state and local laws, but will not join federal officers or the National Guard in patrols, arrests or other actions. It also orders the city police to use its uniforms, follow the rules of the body of the body and avoid masks to ensure that they are clearly identified, apart from federal officers.
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According to the order, “the deployment of federal military forces in Chicago without the consent of local authorities undermines democratic norms, violates the sovereignty of the city, threatens civil freedoms and runs the risk of increasing violence instead of ensuring peace.”
Trump has threatened to send federal forces to Chicago as part of a broader offensive against crime in cities led by Democrats, even when local officials point out that they fall into homicides, armed violence and robberies. Johnson said officials have received credible reports that federal agents or troops could reach days.
The White House dismissed Johnson’s measure, accusing the Democrats of politicizing the crime. “If these Democrats focused on fixing the crime in their own cities instead of making advertising acrobatics to criticize the president, his communities would be much safer,” said White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson.
Johnson said the city will consider all available options, including demands, to challenge any deployment. “We will use the courts if necessary,” he said.
Trump has argued that he wants cities to request federal agents, but has continued to threaten the deployments without formal invitations. The governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, has argued that the president cannot legally send troops to the State without its approval, unlike Washington, DC, where the federal government controls the police.
The past deployments of the National Guard to Chicago have been coordinated with local leaders. While US law limits the ability of a president to send troops without consent, there are no restrictions to deploy federal law agents, such as ICE agents.
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