Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Signs Order To Ensure Criminal Allegations Against ICE Agents Are Investigated. The Horror, Right?

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has not been shy about publicly opposing the Trump administration and its authoritarian policies and practices. He was one of the first local leaders to state plainly that the National Guard was neither necessary nor welcome in his city. He also has shown that he won’t let the federal government’s opposition to the number of Black people he has put on his payroll stop him from employing even more Black people and being damn proud of it.

Brandon Johnson is a Black man who loves his city, and he won’t let it be ruled by white nationalism.

So, it’s no surprise that, over the weekend, the good mayor signed an executive order titled  “ICE On Notice,” aimed at holding federal agents accountable by ensuring that allegations of misconduct are properly investigated. It’s even less surprising that there are bootlicking government officials who oppose the order.

According to ABC 7, the order, which Johnson signed Saturday morning, directs Chicago police to investigate any alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents.

During the order’s signing, Johnson said Chicago must prepare for federal agents to potentially return to the city in the spring.

“If the federal government will not hold these rogue actors accountable, then Chicago will do everything our power to bring these agents to justice,” he said.

What the order requires would seem like common sense to anyone who doesn’t think ICE and Border Patrol agents should be above the law.

From ABC:

Under the “ICE On Notice” order, if CPD personnel observe or receive reports of alleged violations of state or local law by federal agents, they must:

Document federal enforcement activities in accordance with CPD policy;

Ensure that any body camera footage captured during the incident – including footage of any use of force, detentions, injuries, or other enforcement activity – is preserved;

Seek to identify the federal supervisory officer on scene, attempt to verify the supervisory officer’s name and badge number, and record the credential verification using body-cameras-including any refusal to comply;

Complete a report on any violation of state or local law by federal agents consistent with CPD policy;

Immediately summon emergency medical services and render aid to any injured person on the scene

CPD must also provide any evidence of alleged felony violations to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the order states. Additionally, CPD must share data on federal immigration officers’ alleged legal violations with the public.

So, is it just me, or does all of that sound like regular-degular police work? And yet, for some reason, former Chicago Police Department chief of detectives Eugene Roy is opposed to the idea, calling it “political theater” and suggesting that federal agents shouldn’t be investigated by local law enforcement while they are in the performance of their duties, as if it doesn’t occur to him that agents can still commit criminal offenses while they are at work.

More from ABC:

“We need to be working with the federal government. We cannot be at odds with the federal government; it serves no one’s best interest,” said Eugene Roy, former CPD chief of detectives.

Roy strongly disagrees with tactics used by Bovino and his border patrol agents, but does not believe officers should investigate federal agents during ongoing federal immigration operations.

“The Chicago Police Department should not be put in a position where they are investigating federal agents who are investigating federal crimes, which is clearly a federal jurisdiction. It serves no useful purpose,” Roy said.

Roy calls Mayor Brandon’s Johnson’s executive order directing police to investigate federal agents for possible misconduct nothing more than political theater. Johnson says the agents must be held accountable.

So, Roy disagrees with the actions taken by Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and many of his agents, but he opposes investigating those actions? Come on, now.

What Roy is doing is arguing a strawman while either intentionally or unintentionally conflating things that are not the same. If a federal agent, say, shoots and kills an unarmed protester who poses no immediate threat to them, that doesn’t mean local cops are being “put in a position where they are investigating federal agents who are investigating federal crimes.” Those local cops would be investigating an alleged criminal offense that should be investigated immediately, regardless of when it occurred, even if it occurred while federal agents were conducting a federal investigation. It’s not a matter of jurisdiction; it’s a matter of federal officers not having the legal right to commit legal offenses.

Yet, according to the Chicago Tribune, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said Monday that “a thorough analysis is being conducted” to assess the legality of Johnson’s order. Again, what is there to be analyzed?

Are these people really trying to figure out the legality of cops investigating potential violations of the law? Is that not what cops are supposed to be doing?

What are we even talking about here?

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