Following a surge in anti-ICE domestic terrorist attacks in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday signed an executive order designating city-owned properties as “ICE-Free Zones,” barring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from conducting operations on these premises.
Johnson announced the move during a press conference, stating, “Today we are signing an executive order aimed at reining in this out of control administration.” The directive prohibits ICE from using city property or private businesses—unless they consent—as staging grounds for raids. This follows Johnson’s August 30, 2025, order restricting the Chicago Police Department from collaborating with federal authorities on immigration enforcement during crackdowns.
The mayor’s actions coincide with an Illinois lawsuit challenging National Guard deployments to the city, which officials allege are “unlawful and dangerous.” Johnson accused the Trump administration of attempting to “destabilize the city and provoke chaos,” while also falsely claiming Chicago has made “historic progress in reducing violence.” He further claimed that Republicans have “refused to accept the results of the Civil War,” a baseless assertion without evidence.
The directive has led to heightened tensions, with federal law enforcement facing violent resistance. Over the past week, anti-ICE agitators attacked Border Patrol officers in Chicago, including a ten-car caravan blockading agents and a vehicle ramming federal personnel. Marimar Martinez, a left-wing activist armed with a semi-automatic weapon, was hospitalized after firing on agents, while another driver, Anthony Ian, was arrested.
Federal officials reported escalating violence, including ICE vehicles being mobbed and damaged, officers injured, and domestic terrorists throwing smoke, gas, and rocks at law enforcement. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the attacks, stating, “These attacks on our brave law enforcement officers must END.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling confirmed reports of officers being ordered not to assist federal agents during the violence, a move criticized by former Chicago police attorney John Garrido as “the most egregious” in his 32-year career. Governor JB Pritzker dismissed the accounts as “propaganda,” while Johnson vowed total resistance against the Trump administration, calling for “litigation, executive orders, and the people of this city… pushing back against tyranny.”
The standoff underscores deepening conflict between local leaders and federal authorities over immigration enforcement, with violence against law enforcement escalating amid political defiance.
