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Chicago Snowplow Contest Draws Attention After Mayor Boosts 'Abolish ICE' Entry

Submissions close Jan. 10 or at 20,000 entries, followed by a Feb. 1–14 vote on 25 finalists.

A sign on a Streets and Sanitation snowplow parked in Chicago's Loop reads "Holy Plow," on Oct. 19, 2024. The city has announced the fourth annual "You Name a Snowplow" contest. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
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Overview

  • Mayor Brandon Johnson’s official X account reposted an entry reading “ABOLISH ICE,” adding an eyes emoji.
  • The mayor’s press account replied “True” to a user’s claim the phrase was a light-hearted, nonpolitical pun about plows clearing ice.
  • The contest, run by the Department of Streets and Sanitation, allows one submission per person of up to 50 characters.
  • After voting, six winning names will be assigned to plows across the city’s six snow districts, and the first submitter of each winner will get a photo with that plow.
  • Social-media reaction ranged from praise to criticism as coverage linked the phrase to local opposition to federal immigration enforcement operations reported in Chicago.