Community Corner
Chicago Braces For Increased ICE Raids, Possible Chaos, Ahead Of 'No Kings' Protest
Mayor Brandon Johnson says city is prepared to protect people's First Amendment right to peaceably assemble ahead of influx of ICE raids.
CHICAGO — The City of Chicago is bracing for a deployment of federal ICE special response teams that could insert chaos into a planned mass “No Kings’ demonstration at Daley Plaza and the celebration of the election of Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV at Rate Field, both happening on Saturday.
It is also the same day a massive military parade is being planned in Washington, D.C. for President Donald Trump’s birthday.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, chief of staff to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, said the city received word that President Donald Trump will be sending ICE tactical teams to Chicago and other Democrat-led cities around the country. Aggressive ICE crackdowns and raids of Home Depots, courthouses and factories last week in Los Angeles precipitated mass demonstrations in that city and around the country.
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“Federal agents have informed the city they have been given 48 hours to stand by and be ready to deploy,” Pacione-Zayas said during a news conference on Wednesday. "There will be tactical teams; there will be mini tanks. There will be other tools; they will plan to do raids, as we saw in Los Angeles."
In addition to Chicago, ICE tactical teams are expected to be deployed in Philadelphia, northern Virginia, including the Washington, D.C. area and New York. Special response teams are expected to be armed, including chemical agents and in full riot gear, with their faces concealed, Pacione-Zayas advised.
Mayor Brandon Johnson blasted Trump in his opening remarks as a “tyrant,” preceding Wednesday’s news conference.
“You got to be really sick and demented to do this to people,” the mayor said of the brutal ICE raids captured around the country on citizen phone recordings, that are creating alarm in Chicago’s own immigrant communities.
Johnson said what happened in Los Angeles last weekend wasn’t about immigration policy, it was about power.
“We have a tyrant in the White House who has a complete disregard for our constitution and the dismissing of our democracy,” he said. “We want Chicagoans from all walks of life to exercise their right to peaceable assemble.”
While no formal plans have been announced for possible “protest zones” or other measures in Chicago, Johnson everything on the city’s part would be done to protect people’s constitutional right to peaceably assemble for the “No Kings” protest downtown.
“What we are seeing in California and across the country is an affront. We are seeing poor and working people being terrorized without due process,” the mayor said. “While federal immigration enforcement have jurisdiction, we want to continue to assure that all Chicagoans know their rights. We will continue to stand up for our immigrant community and for all our beloved city.”
He also encouraged residents to exercise their right to protest peacefully. "I am counting on all of Chicago to resist in this moment. Because whatever particular vulnerable group is being targeted today, another group will be next," Johnson said.
Asked what possible accommodations were being made in the event the National Guard or military are federalized and deployed, the mayor said that “constitutional policing” would be carried out.
"We do know that this president is determined to insert chaos. Our response locally is to continue to provide calm and structure to this situation,” Johnson said. “It’s a really terrible moment in our nation’s history where families are being ripped apart.”
As during last summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Johnson said his administration demonstrated that it knew how to protect people’s right to assemble and protect the constitution.
“I have complete confidence between those protesting and want to ensure that their message is brought to the federal government,” Johnson added. “This president’s desire to not only militarize and criminalize, but his commitment to drive chaos is something that I’ve said from the beginning is not only reckless, it’s incompressible.”
The mayor added that his office will remain in contact with Gov. Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the event of a weekend deployment of ICE special response teams.
Pritzker also spoke out, tweeting, "Illinois follows the law — we expect the federal government to follow the law, too. We won't participate in abuses of power. We won't violate court orders. We won't ignore the Constitution. We won't defy the Supreme Court. We won't take away people’s right to peacefully protest."
Meanwhile, the mayor is calling for calm during Saturday’s protests taking place around the city.
“It's going to take all of us to stand firm to make sure our democracy is intact,” Mayor Johnson said.
The Chicago Police Department has also issued a statement reiterating its commitment to “constitutional policing.”
“CPD has had significant experience handling and successfully securing large demonstrations throughout the past few years, including those related to the war in Gaza and the 2024 Democratic National Convention. We will continue to do the same with all future large-scale demonstrations. As we protect these assemblies, we will not tolerate any criminal activity or violence. Those in violation of the law will be held accountable.”
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