This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to stay in Chicago for our top segment. As President Trump intensifies his immigration crackdown nationwide, local resistance is also growing, with communities coming together to fight back. Protests nationwide have continued in the wake of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, while many city and state officials have also stood defiant in the face of Trump’s relentless attacks on immigrant and other communities.
Last week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order directing Chicago law enforcement to investigate and document reports of illegal activity by federal immigration agents in the city. The move came in the aftermath of Trump’s so-called Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago last year, when federal immigration agents flooded neighborhoods, snatching residents off the streets. This is Mayor Johnson speaking as he signed the executive order.
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON: What we have seen in Chicago, at least two people shot by ICE and Border Patrol agents, including one who was killed, Silverio Villegas González, an unarmed father who had just dropped his kids off to school. … These rogue federal agents are taking us backwards as a city. They are causing chaos and confusion. In response, the city of Chicago must respond with accountability and transparency. The ”ICE On Notice” executive order is a step towards justice. This executive order will make Chicago the first city in the country to set the groundwork to prosecute ICE and Border Patrol agents for criminal misconduct, because we need to send a clear message: If the federal government will not hold these rogue actors accountable, then Chicago will do everything in our power to bring these agents to justice.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. During his remarks, he referenced Silverio Villegas González, a 38-year-old Mexican dad of two who was shot and killed by ICE agents in September in a Chicago suburb. He was unarmed and had no criminal record. The ICE officer involved in the shooting remains unnamed. González is among at least 13 people, including U.S. citizens, who have been shot by federal immigration agents since September. At least four of those shootings have been fatal.
This comes as a Chicago woman who was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent last year is scheduled to testify today before a congressional forum looking at the violent use of force by DHS agents. Marimar Martinez was shot multiple times in October, then arrested, but all charges against her have been dropped. She’s a U.S. citizen. Martinez will be joined by another U.S. citizen, Aliya Rahman, who was dragged out of her car by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis and detained earlier this month.
For more, we go to Chicago, where we’re joined by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Mayor, thanks so much for being with us. Lay out what’s at the center of your executive order, which you’ve called ICE On Notice. Would your measure create a process that would allow for the prosecution of federal agents?
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON: Well, good morning, and thank you for the opportunity.
You know, this executive order is about creating a pathway to accountability, as you expressed in your opening, whether it’s Mr. Villegas González or Ms. Martinez or the Black man on the West Side of Chicago who was put in an illegal chokehold by a federal agent, as well as the raids on apartment buildings in the South Shore community on the South Side of Chicago. What we have seen is acts of terror and chaos distributed across this country, and particularly here in Chicago, and there has been no accountability. And what this executive order is doing is showing up for the people of Chicago, but really creating a model for the rest of the country of how do we hold these federal agents accountable, because right now they are behaving recklessly and without real accountability.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Mayor, I wanted to ask you about these two previous shootings that occurred in Chicago. In the Martinez case, her lawyer is still trying to get the video, the judge to release video of that shooting. Has there been any action on the part of local law enforcement in relationship to these two cases?
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON: Well, that’s the whole — the point behind this executive order is to ensure that we are not just directing our police department to collect evidence, but to preserve it, to identify the federal supervisory officer that’s on scene. Right now we just did not have clear direction. And what this executive order does is it provides that clear direction, so that, again, we can have a pathway to accountability, because in the case in which you’re talking about, that information, in the preservation of that incident, there is no clear direction around — prior to the executive order, of how that information can be maintained, but also how it can be used in an attempt, of course, to hold these individuals accountable. That’s the whole point around this executive order, is to ensure that the evidence is preserved, that it’s well documented, and then, of course, that that information and that evidence is passed on to the jurisdiction that is ultimately responsible to determine whether or not charges should be brought.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And I wanted to ask you — there was such enormous opposition and resistance by the people of Chicago, from the grassroots all the way up to yourself and the governor and other elected officials, that federal agents basically had to leave. Is there a concern on your part that they’re going to be returning in significant numbers in the future?
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON: It is our concern. And that’s, again, the impetus behind this executive order, to put ourselves in a stronger position to create a pathway to accountability. And, look, to your point, the groundswell is not just in Chicago, it’s all over the country. We know that the district attorney in Philadelphia, Larry Krasner, is organizing district attorneys across the country to be responsive in this moment. I’ve been working with mayors across the country to do the same, because, you know, ultimately, without a clear pathway to accountability, our concern is that these rogue, reckless actors will continue their acts of terror, because we’ve already been prewarned that the desire of the Trump administration is to send more federal agents into cities across America, and particularly Chicago. And so, we are — you know, never in a million years could we imagine that the federal government would not hold itself accountable for bad actors. And so, now we have to create a pathway at the local level to do just that. And that’s what this executive order is designed to do.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to ask you about the Chicago police’s role during Operation [Midway] Blitz. It has been heavily scrutinized, with local leaders calling for investigations into claims officers aided immigration agents in violation of the city’s sanctuary laws. If you could respond to that, also especially since you’re directing police to investigate federal immigration agents?
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON: Well, many people might know that the city of Chicago was one of the first cities to create sanctuary and a welcoming city, 40 years of history in our city. Mayor Harold Washington led the way 40 years ago. And so, we are holding to that value system, because we know our immigrant community, of course, plays an incredible role in the life and the soul of Chicago.
And so, you know, what we have done here locally is that we’ve created an accountability mechanism for families in the city of Chicago to bring claims of violations by our police department. And our superintendent and my administration, we welcome that, because we want to make sure that the trust that we have built between law enforcement and local residents, that that trust is not eroded and lost, particularly at a time in which we saw the fewest amount of homicides in 60 years. As violent crime continues to go down in the city of Chicago, our police department maintaining trust and credibility within all of our communities is vital to building the safest, most affordable big city in America. So we welcome that level and additional layer of accountability, because the Welcoming City Ordinance is very clear that local law enforcement will not participate and support, quite frankly, civil immigration enforcement absent a warrant. And by having that ordinance, it again — it allows for individuals, whether they’re documented or not, to engage with law enforcement without the fear of being harassed or, you know, being harmed, quite frankly, because that’s what we’ve seen.
So, yes, more accountability is critical in this moment. But the real challenge that we have right now in this country is that you have a president who has declared war on American cities, whether it’s taking SNAP benefits away from working people, defunding our public education system, withholding resources for our transportation system. Healthcare costs continue to go up. As we build more affordable housing in Chicago, as we invest in our young people, as we expand mental and behavioral healthcare, all of that is being threatened by this tyrannical regime. And so, accountability is necessary, and that’s why I’ve used every single tool available to me to do just that, which is to protect the people of Chicago.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Mayor, I’m wondering not only the sense of security among Chicago residents as a result of Operation Midway Blitz, but have you been able to quantify the economic impact on the city of this dragnet that occurred for several months in terms — especially in terms of the neighborhoods where there were large immigrant communities?
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON: Yeah, absolutely. And thank you for raising that. You know, we have stretches and economic corridors in the city of Chicago, in our immigrant communities, one of which is — you know, contributes — the 22nd Street, where there’s a strong Hispanic population, where that entire economic corridor contributes millions of dollars into our economy. And in many instances, we’ve seen a decline in revenue for these businesses as high as 60%, whether that’s — whether that’s a grocery store, a restaurant, people afraid to go to work, right? So, you know, those are individuals who are not getting a check, and therefore, they’re not paying in their income taxes, because they’re not working, right? And we know that the immigrant community contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in local economies across this country.
And so, that’s why what you’re seeing is a groundswell of people who are pushing back against this regime. You know, you’ve heard people even call for, including myself, a general strike. We have to send a strong message, particularly those of us who bring in justice to this administration, that he is not going to get away with the blatant disregard to our Constitution. He’s not going to get away with declaring war on working people and poor people. And so, yes, there’s been an economic impact of his terror, but what we’re seeing across this country, you know, whether it’s district attorneys or mayors or community organizations or faith leaders, all of us coming together to stand up for working people, to protect our democracy and, of course, to protect our humanity.
AMY GOODMAN: Mayor Johnson, this is a little off topic, and this is our last question, but it was our top news headline, is that President Trump wants to nationalize voting in the United States, as he continues to make false claims that he won the 2020 election. As you know, he raided the Fulton County Board of Elections office. Can you respond to what this means as a city mayor in this country?
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON: Yeah, well, the fundamental element of our democracy is to have fair and free elections, right? And this is what we have known this president to be calling for from the very beginning. All of the other tactics, of course, are designed to create fear and to strip power, you know, away from the people. Again, this is why I have called for, collectively, real, systematic trainings across our country, much like the civil rights movement instituted. We have to bring workers together. We have to bring businesses together. Every single level of government, community-based organizations, all of us have to come together to fight to protect the interests of working people.
And here’s the last thing: This is really about shifting the wealth into the hands of a concentrated few. I’ve said this repeatedly. Justice Brandeis, a century ago, said that you can either have a democracy, or you can have wealth concentrated in the hands of the few, but you certainly cannot have both. And if we’re going to defend and preserve this democracy, and if we’re going to fight to make sure that our cities and our states are better than what they were prior to Trump arriving — because this is not about going back to status quo, this is about improving the quality of life for every single person in this country — and if we’re going to do that, it’s going to take all of us to band together to ensure that justice prevails.
AMY GOODMAN: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, thank you so much for being with us.
Coming up, we go to Philadelphia, where we’ll speak with City Councilmember Kendra Brooks, the sponsor of new ”ICE Out” legislation in the city, that ICE agents can’t wear masks, they can’t go around in unmarked cars, that they will only accept judge-signed warrants, and more. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: “The World Turned Upside Down” song, performed in our Democracy Now! studios by Billy Bragg. And speaking of Democracy Now!, we celebrate our 30th anniversary at Riverside Church on February 23rd. Juan is going to be flying in from Chicago. Wynton Marsalis is going to be going down the aisle with his trumpet. We’ll be joined by Michael Stipe, the great singer and musician and activist, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Angela Davis and more. You can get tickets, as they’re going quickly, at our website, democracynow.org. That’s February 23rd at the historic Riverside Church here in New York. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
