Politics January 31, 2026

Chicago Mayor Orders Police to Probe Allegations of Illegal Conduct by Federal Immigration Agents

Executive order directs Chicago Police to document incidents and refer suspected violations for prosecution

By Priya Menon
Chicago Mayor Orders Police to Probe Allegations of Illegal Conduct by Federal Immigration Agents

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has issued an executive order requiring the city police department to investigate alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents, preserve body-camera footage, identify federal supervisory officers at scenes, and file reports on any state or local laws allegedly violated. The directive comes amid broader state and local pushback against expanded federal immigration enforcement operations.

Key Points

  • Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order directing Chicago Police to investigate alleged illegal actions by federal immigration agents and refer suspected criminal conduct for prosecution if warranted - sectors affected include local government operations and law enforcement oversight.
  • The order requires preservation of body-worn camera footage, identification of the federal supervisory officer on scene, and completion of reports documenting any alleged violations of state or local laws - this implicates municipal policing and legal compliance processes.
  • The action follows broader state and local pushback against expanded federal immigration enforcement, including a Minnesota lawsuit and proposed New York legislation restricting deputization of local officers.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed an executive order instructing the city’s police force to investigate any allegations that federal immigration agents engaged in illegal conduct and to forward cases for prosecution where appropriate, his office said Saturday.

In a written statement, Johnson said: "With today’s order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents."

The order lays out specific steps for Chicago police officers when federal immigration agents are present. Officers are directed to preserve body-worn camera recordings of incidents, to identify the federal supervisory officer on the scene, and to complete reports documenting any alleged violations of state or local law by federal personnel.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the mayor’s action.

Legal protections for federal officers are noted in the order’s context: federal agents are generally immune from state prosecution for actions taken as part of their official duties. That immunity applies only where an officer’s actions were authorized under federal law and were necessary and proper.

The mayor’s directive is part of a broader pattern of resistance among Democratic state and local officials to intensified federal immigration enforcement. The movement gained particular attention after two U.S. citizens were killed in Minneapolis by federal agents, prompting heightened scrutiny of the scale and conduct of federal operations.

In Minnesota, state officials sued the federal government over an influx of immigration officers. A federal judge on Saturday declined to issue a preliminary injunction that would have suspended the operation.

Separately, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, introduced legislation on Friday that would bar local law enforcement from being deputized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to participate in immigration enforcement operations.


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Risks

  • Legal uncertainty over prosecution - federal agents are generally immune from state prosecution for actions within their official duties, and such immunity applies when actions are authorized under federal law and deemed necessary and proper - this creates legal ambiguity for local enforcement and prosecutors.
  • Operational friction between federal and local agencies - directives requiring documentation and identification of federal supervisors may lead to heightened administrative burdens or interagency tensions affecting policing operations.
  • Judicial outcomes are unsettled - a federal judge declined to issue a preliminary injunction in Minnesota seeking to end a federal operation, illustrating that court challenges may not immediately constrain federal deployments and leaving the practical effect of local measures uncertain.

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