Johnson vows legal action if Trump sends troops to Chicago for immigration enforcement
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responds to the Trump administration potentially targeting his city with military personnel for an immigration crackdown
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters during a press conference that his administration will stand up to President Donald Trump if he sends military troops to his city to enforce immigration law.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson voiced concerns Monday about potential federal troop deployment to his city as part of former President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, warning the move could be unconstitutional and legally challenged.
Speaking at a City Hall news conference, Johnson responded to reports of federal plans to escalate immigration enforcement in sanctuary cities like Chicago, calling the idea a threat to civil liberties and local governance.
"It’s just another example of his animus towards working people," Johnson said. "I think it’s important that the president respects the Constitution. If you’re asking me whether this president will work with city leaders, it’s clear he’s not interested in doing that."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told his constituents to "rise up in this moment" against Trump’s deportation campaign across the country.
Johnson’s remarks came in response to a statement from a Trump administration official to Rolling Stone, saying, "Chicago is next, if they go too far," in reference to recent protests and the city’s sanctuary policies.
"The second they do, the president is prepared to prove that nobody is above the law," the official added.
The comments follow anti-ICE and anti-Trump protests in Chicago that echoed demonstrations nationwide, prompting federal officials to reportedly monitor the situation closely—especially after the Trump administration deployed National Guard forces to Los Angeles.
"We will continue to resist," Johnson said. "Whether it’s in the courts, in the streets, or through public policy, we’re going to stand up for working people."
Mary Richardson-Lowry, the city’s Corporation Counsel, emphasized the legal limitations of such a deployment. "We believe it is a violation of the Constitution to deploy troops or National Guard absent authority under the Constitution," she said.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson fears his city might be the next target of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Last week, Johnson called for Chicagoans to "rise up" against ICE and what he called immigration enforcement "terrorism."
Chicago has received more than 51,000 migrants from the southern border since August 2022, many bussed from Texas under GOP Gov. Greg Abbott’s relocation effort.
The latest tensions come after Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker testified before Congress last week in defense of the state’s sanctuary city policies.
U.S. National Guard deployed around downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following an immigration raid protest the night before. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The mayor's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program.
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