Homan Says ‘Good Luck' As Johnson Vows Chicago Won't Work With ICE

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square, The Center Square

July 9, 2025

A Trump administration official says "good luck" to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who vows local police won’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

Trump administration border czar Tom Homan told reporters they plan to increase immigration enforcement efforts.

“And for those that say 3,000 a day is too much, I want to remind them, do the math, we’d have to arrest 7,000 every single day for the remainder of this administration just to catch the ones [former President Joe] Biden released in the nation, ” Homan said.

The "One Big Beautiful Bill" gives border security efforts $170 billion, including $45 billion for detention centers and $30 billion for more ICE personnel and transportation.

Johnson emphatically said Tuesday that the Chicago Police Department will not work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts.

“Our local police department will not ever cooperate with ICE,” Johnson said during a news conference.

Johnson said Chicago will instead collaborate with other migrant sanctuary cities.

“To the extent in which we’re going to have to rely upon one another, other cities and states coming together, to find the best way in which we can interact with a federal government that is quite hostile towards states and cities,” Johnson said.

Homan told Fox Business cities with migrant sanctuary policies blocking ICE agents from jails will just be met with more enforcement on the streets.

“So what you’re going to get sanctuary cities is exactly what you don’t want, more agents in your communities and more collateral arrests,” Homan said. “That’s what we’re going to do. We’re doubling down, tripling down, so to those who say they’re going to keep ICE out of their city, good luck with that.”

Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois are defendants in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice over policies prohibiting local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials.

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