Officials in Chicago are bracing for a major federal immigration enforcement operation that could begin as soon as this week, with the city's mayor signing an order over the weekend aimed at resisting the Trump administration's planned crackdown. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday such a move would be an "invasion" and that he has had no communication with the Trump administration about reported plans to send National Guard troops to Chicago. "No one in the administration – the president or anybody under him – has called anyone in my administration, or me. So, it's clear that in secret they're planning this – well, it's an invasion with US troops, if they in fact do that," Pritzker said Sunday. The operation is expected to kick off in Chicago by this Friday and could involve agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and potentially be backed by guard forces in a peacekeeping role, according to multiple sources familiar with the planning. "We've already had ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago and throughout Illinois and other states, making sure that we're upholding our laws, but we do intend to add more resources to those operations," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. An immigration operation in the city would further escalate a clash between the White House and Democratic-led cities and comes as President Donald Trump and his aides have repeatedly slammed Chicago over policies that limit cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration enforcement. Asked about expanding these operations beyond Chicago, Noem said that the Trump administration has "not taken anything off the table," and specifically named San Francisco and Boston in addition to Chicago. She suggested that Republican-led cities with crime problems were "absolutely" also being evaluated. Chicago has been preparing to try to resist Trump's planned immigration crackdown with Mayor Brandon Johnson signing an executive order Saturday providing guidance and directives to the city's agencies and law enforcement "in the midst of escalating threats from the federal government." The mayor's order "affirms" that Chicago police will not "collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties including civil immigration enforcement." It also "urges" federal law enforcement officers to use body cameras and refrain from wearing masks. "We may see militarized immigration enforcement. We may also see National Guard troops. We may even see active duty military and armed vehicles in our streets. We have not called for this. Our people have not asked for this, but nevertheless, we find ourselves having to respond to this," Johnson said before signing the executive order on Saturday. White House officials have made clear that these immigration enforcement plans are distinct from the idea the president has floated over the past week to use federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to carry out a broader crime crackdown in Chicago, similar to the current surge in Washington, DC. Trump took to social media Monday morning with a post celebrating what he called a massive victory over crime in the nation's capital and taking sharp aim at Democratic leaders across the country for refusing his floated plans for an aggressive federal anti-crime strategy in their states as well. He contrasted politicians who are resisting his plans with what he sees as a more welcoming stance from Washington DC's leadership. In the Truth Social post, Trump said DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's "statements and actions were positive, instead of others like Pritzker, Wes Moore, Newscum, and the 5% approval rated Mayor of Chicago, who spend all of their time trying to justify violent Crime, instead of working with us to completely ELIMINATE it." Trump officials have been quick to criticize the Illinois governor and defend potential federal policing in the state by pointing to crime statistics. Noem pointed to homicide statistics in Chicago on Sunday in a dig to the governor, saying Pritzker "can talk about what a great job he's doing as governor, but he's failing these families. ... This seems like it's more about Gov. Pritzker's ego now rather than actually protecting his people." In a warning to Pritzker on Saturday, Trump told the governor to quickly "straighten" out crime in Chicago or the federal government will intervene. "Six people were killed, and 24 people were shot, in Chicago last weekend, and JB Pritzker, the weak and pathetic Governor of Illinois, just said that he doesn't need help in preventing CRIME. He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we're coming!" Trump posted on Truth Social. At least 56 people were shot – seven of them fatally – in Chicago over the holiday weekend. Roughly 34 shootings have been reported since Friday at 10:32 p.m., with victims ranging in age from 14 to 48, according to incident notifications published by the Chicago Police Department. Meanwhile, the Chicago mayor's office last week touted a 21.6% decrease in overall violent crime and a 32.3% decrease in homicides so far this year. — CNN
