A new executive order from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson puts him in direct conflict with President Donald Trump.
This action comes after weeks of warnings from Washington. The 79-year-old has said that his administration is getting ready for big operations in cities run by Democrats.
There are reports of plans that might involve federal agents, the National Guard, or possibly troops on active duty.
Johnson told CNN that the directive was written as a direct response to Trump’s policies.
We might see immigration enforcement with the military. We might also see troops from the National Guard. We might even see soldiers on duty and armed vehicles on our streets. We didn’t ask for this. He remarked, “Our people didn’t ask for this, but we have to respond to it anyway.”
The Guardian says that the presidential order officially bans the Chicago Police Department from working with federal agencies on patrols, arrests, immigration enforcement, traffic stops, and checkpoints.
It also says that police can’t wear masks or other face coverings and that they have to plainly show who they are by name and badge number.
Johnson said that Trump was acting outside the law and was reckless and out of control. He also said that Trump was the worst threat to our democracy in the history of our country, according to ABC News.
He told CNN in a different interview, “This is clearly against the law.” It is against the law and costs money. Is there still work to be done? Yes, there is. Is putting soldiers into cities a good approach to keep people safe? Not at all.
The White House has said that the mayor’s decision was just a “publicity stunt.”
Abigail Jackson, a spokeswoman for the Democrats, claimed that their neighborhoods would be much safer if they spent less time executing media stunts to criticize the president and more time tackling crime in their own areas. It shouldn’t be a political issue to crack down on crime.
The governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, also spoke out against the president’s actions, saying he was trying to undermine our democracy, turn our cities into military bases, and terminate elections.
He said during a press conference, “What possible reason could the White House have for planning such an unusual action without talking to the governor, the mayor, or the police if this was really about fighting crime and making the streets safe?”
Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday, August 30, saying, “Last weekend in Chicago, six people were killed and twenty-four were shot.” JB Pritzker, the pitiful and feeble governor of Illinois, recently declared that he doesn’t require assistance in preventing crime. He’s crazy! We’re on our way, so he had better fix it soon! Restore America’s greatness. DJT, President. Vice President JD Vance made the same statement while visiting La Crosse, Wisconsin: We’re not far from Chicago. Chicago has seen numerous crime issues.
Why are mayors and governors more upset about Donald Trump trying to help them than they are about their own people being killed and carjacked on the streets? He said, “It doesn’t make any sense.”
It’s not clear if the Chicago mayor’s order will stop the federal government from sending troops, but the fight shows that the gap between Trump and Democratic-led cities is getting worse.