STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
In this country, President Trump says Chicago needs to do more to address crime and enforce immigration laws, which is why he's talking about surging federal agents there - even U.S. troops. NPR's Joe Hernandez reports on what local officials are saying.
JOE HERNANDEZ, BYLINE: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson says the city still doesn't know exactly what the Trump administration is planning, but he says he doesn't want the federal government to use the Chicago police to do it. That's why on Saturday, Johnson signed an executive order prohibiting the Chicago Police Department from collaborating with federal agents on civil immigration enforcement operations.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRANDON JOHNSON: This executive order makes it emphatically clear that this president is not going to come in and deputize our police department.
HERNANDEZ: The order also requires Chicago police officers to wear their uniforms and not wear masks, so they can be distinguished from federal agents. Still, the Trump administration appears to be moving ahead with a plan to intensify immigration enforcement in Chicago. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS' "Face The Nation" on Sunday that ICE is already operating in the city, but more needs to be done.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KRISTI NOEM: But we will continue to go after the worst of the worst across the country, like President Trump has told us to do.
HERNANDEZ: Last week, when discussing the ramping up of enforcement efforts, White House border czar Tom Homan said the government would focus on cities like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TOM HOMAN: All these sanctuary cities that refuse to work with ICE, where we know public safety threats are being released every day into this country - especially those cities, we're going to address them.
HERNANDEZ: Suggestions of an immigration crackdown in Chicago come several weeks after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., to fight crime. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker told "Face The Nation" that if the government sends troops into Chicago, it would be akin to an invasion. Local law enforcement agencies already work with federal agencies like the FBI and DEA, but Pritzker says this would be different.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JB PRITZKER: I'm saying we don't want troops on the streets of American cities.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Right.
PRITZKER: That's un-American. And frankly, the president of the United States ought to know better.
HERNANDEZ: Pritzker says the Trump administration should work with state and local officials rather than send in federal forces against their wishes.
Joe Hernandez, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.