Mayor Brandon Johnson’s recent executive order creating so-called “ICE-free zones” in Chicago is a dereliction of duty that puts politics above public safety. By forbidding federal immigration officers from using city-owned property as staging areas, the mayor has effectively handed a safe harbor to criminals while pretending to protect neighborhoods. This isn’t courage — it’s grandstanding that risks the safety of hardworking Chicago families.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was right to call out Johnson on national television, and she’s rightly pointed to the frustrating reality that local leaders consistently block sensible cooperation with ICE. Noem has repeatedly warned that detainers are being refused at alarming rates, and she has demanded that elected officials stop making excuses when violent criminals are being released back onto the streets. Conservatives should applaud Noem for standing with law enforcement and the business owners who want safe communities and predictable rule of law.
This is not theoretical — federal operations in Illinois have already produced significant arrests, and Secretary Noem even joined agents on the ground as DHS stepped up enforcement. These are the results of a federal effort to remove violent offenders and traffickers from our neighborhoods, not some partisan photo op. If local politicians think they can hide behind slogans while crime goes unchecked, they are abandoning their constituents.
Meanwhile, real Chicago business owners are living the consequences of lawlessness and the fear that comes from permissive, sanctuary-style policies. Neighborhood shops and restaurants have reported plunging sales and anxious workers skipping shifts amid reports of raids and the uncertainty they bring — the very people Mayor Johnson claims to defend are being hurt by his rhetoric. Small-business owners don’t want ideology; they want customers who can safely come to work and spend money.
Instead of leadership, Mayor Johnson has opted for escalation, prompting a federal response that includes deployments and legal battles as tensions between Washington and Chicago flare. The result is a chaotic stand-off that leaves citizens caught in the middle while lawyers and activists trade talking points. If local leaders refuse to enforce the law, the federal government has both the right and the duty to step in to protect Americans.
Patriots and hardworking Americans should stand with the brave men and women who enforce our immigration laws and keep violent offenders off the streets. Kristi Noem and federal agents are trying to restore order where local politicians have chosen politics; conservatives must back them and demand that mayors and governors prioritize public safety over partisan virtue signaling. The choice is simple: support law and order, or watch our cities be sacrificed to political theater.
