Overview

• Mayor Brandon Johnson outlined five steps for ICE encounters: stay calm, do not open the door without a judge-signed warrant, decline to answer status questions, avoid signing documents you do not understand and request a lawyer, and ask if you are free to leave during street stops.
• The advisory comes as ICE activity has intensified in Chicago despite local sanctuary protections, with enforcement continuing under federal direction.
• Johnson’s August 30 executive order created the Protecting Chicago initiative and the city promoted legal support lines, including ICIRR (855-435-7693) and First Defense Legal Aid (1-800-529-7374).
• The mayor rejected National Guard deployments and said residents were alarmed by heavily armed, masked federal agents visible on city streets.
• A widely viewed video shows a bicycling food courier eluding a group of ICE officers in downtown Chicago, and the agency has not issued an official statement about the incident.