Chicago’s Ice Playbook Spreads As Cities Challenge Trump’s Crackdown

CHICAGO — When federal immigration agents flooded Chicago last fall, firing tear gas, launching “pepper balls” and stopping residents in the streets, the city became ground zero for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — and started a playbook for how cities might push back.

Amid Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson began signing a series of executive orders aimed at curbing Trump's immigration enforcement surge. The measures included banning federal agents from using city property for operations, directing Chicago police officers to work with demonstrators to manage — rather than shut down — protests, and pushing Chicago police to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by federal agents.

Those tactics are now being used by dozens of municipalities across the country facing similar, unwanted immigration enforcement actions. Officials from Alameda, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland as well as smaller cities throughout Illinois say they have looked to Chicago as a model for how to respond to federal immigration agents.

“When we band together … we can move that much faster to uphold the law and the moral values that our country was founded on,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told POLITICO, adding she spoke with Johnson ahead of her city passing an executive order to prohibit federal agents from operating on city-owned property.

Similarly, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal to develop an ordinance creating ICE-free zones on county property after discussions with Chicago officials, according to the Los Angeles mayor’s office.

And last month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, like Wu, signed an executive order prohibiting federal agents from operating on city-owned property during enforcement actions modeled after Chicago’s approach. They join Seattle; Providence, Rhode Island; Minneapolis; Santa Clara County; San Jose and Los Angeles County, all of which used Chicago’s executive order language as a springboard for their own orders tailored to local legal requirements, according to city staffers who spoke to POLITICO.

In January, Alameda County and the city of Oakland created their own ICE-free zones after talking with Johnson’s office, according to the Oakland mayor’s office. And across Chicago’s nearby suburbs, Aurora, Elgin, Evanston and Waukegan are among municipalities that have banned federal agents from city-owned property, as have Cook, Lake and Will counties.

The multi-jurisdiction effort highlights how Democratic-led cities have sought to stymie Trump’s immigration agenda and use the blueprint created by one of the first cities the Trump administration targeted — Chicago — to help guide their efforts.

The White House says criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement by Democratic politicians and local officials has led to increased hostility and violence toward federal immigration agents.

“ICE officers are facing a 1300 percent increase in assaults because of dangerous, untrue smears by elected Democrats. Recently, an officer had his finger bitten off by a radical left-wing rioter. ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities — local officials should work with them, not against them,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson in a statement to POLITICO, adding, “Anyone doing otherwise is simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens. The Trump Administration will not waver on enforcing federal immigration law no matter how much Democrat politicians try to obstruct us.”

The vast array of actions seeking to limit ICE has expanded far beyond Chicago. Philadelphia has been a “jumping-off point” for other cities, too, said Philadelphia City Councilmember Rue Landau, who helped introduce a package of seven bills that put restrictions on how federal immigration enforcement is conducted in the city, including forbidding agents from entering local government facilities. Those measures are still going through the legislative process, but the fact that the bills have not yet been enacted hasn’t dulled enthusiasm from other municipalities, the lawmaker said.

“We have been contacted by Pittsburgh; Kingman, Arizona; and Lincoln, Nebraska. People have asked for our package and they want to mimic it in other areas,” Landau said in an interview. “What we're seeing post-ICE crackdown in Minneapolis is that cities and states are now doing everything they can to protect themselves and protect their residents, and we're all leaning on each other for best practices to make sure that we can do this in the best legal and resourceful way.”

In an interview, Johnson said he’s also spoken to Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson “on how to move forward with their version of executive orders that will ultimately hold the Trump administration accountable.”

Johnson also discussed his “Know Your Rights” campaign with mayors, educating those at risk of being swept up on how to respond under questioning by federal agents. That effort was rebuked by border czar Tom Homan, who called it “How To Escape Arrest.”

The mayors also have coordinated how communities can get involved in peaceful protests and how to engage businesses worried about enforcement, according to Johnson. It’s led to restaurants and other establishments posting signage to prevent immigration agents from entering their establishments. It’s not uncommon to see signs that say “Everyone Is Welcome Here: Except ICE” on restaurant doors.

New York staffers asked Chicago if it had sample “Agency Preparedness Plans,” any legal-approved language for “know your rights" pamphlets or instructions for homeless shelters or other city-service operators, according to correspondence shared with POLITICO.

Johnson credits Chicago’s “full force of government approach” to its role in the Civil Rights Movement “fighting for justice.”

“As we lead in this effort to protect working people in our city, other cities have found their moral clarity,” he said. “Sometimes, you just need someone to go first.”

Governors have also shared notes and lessons in an effort to “protect fundamental rights, mitigate harm like slowed down local economies, and stand up against unlawful federal overreach,” according to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek was among the governors speaking directly with Pritzker after Trump federalized the National Guard in Portland.

“There was a lot of sharing of ‘what are you experiencing?’ ‘What about your legal fight?’ We were waiting for rulings from our federal courts, and it was like, ‘What are you seeing? What are you arguing? How are you dealing with it?’” Kotek told POLITICO.

The coordination, she said, helped governors present a united front and “provide a defensive wall” as Democratic-led states faced heightened scrutiny from the White House.

Describing calls with Pritzker, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz about how to allow lawful protest while keeping communities safe, Kotek said “We were all kind of learning in the moment of how to stay ahead of what was coming at us.”