Here’s How Chicago Has Been Putting Illegal Aliens Above American Citizens
The article criticizes the Democratic leadership in Chicago and Illinois for prioritizing the rights and protections of undocumented immigrants over those of American citizens. It traces Chicago’s change into a sanctuary city back to policies initiated in the 1980s and expanded over subsequent decades, such as the 1985 executive order by Mayor Harold washington restricting inquiries into immigration status and the 2012 “Welcoming City Ordinance” under Mayor Rahm Emanuel. More recently, then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot further limited police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and Mayor Brandon Johnson has continued similar policies, including efforts to inform undocumented immigrants of their rights and attempts to secure work permits for them.The city also opposed federal initiatives to deploy the National Guard to address crime and has declared itself an “ICE-free Zone.” The article argues these stances undermine law enforcement and public safety, pointing to Chicago’s low mayoral approval ratings and ongoing political controversies. It situates illinois’ approach within past contexts of state-level nullification of federal laws and calls for Democratic leaders to regain control to ensure citizen safety.
The motto for Chicago, Illinois under Democratic leadership is simple: Illegal aliens first, Americans last.
Recent coverage of the city and state, under Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson and fellow Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker, respectively, demonstrates this point. Yet as The Blaze reported Tuesday, these policies reach back decades.
In 1985, Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Harold Washington signed an executive order stating that city employees could not inquire about anyone’s immigration status.
In 2012, the city saw then-Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, also a Democrat, enforce the “Welcoming City Ordinance.” This granted protection to illegals and compelled law enforcement to work with immigrant advocacy groups.
Additionally, it prohibits city employees from assisting in the investigation of a person’s immigration status, absent a federal or court order.
It also marked Chicago’s full transition into a sanctuary city.
To this day, city employees cannot assist with an investigation into someone’s immigration status unless compelled via court order, according to The Blaze.
In 2021, then-Mayor Lorri Lightfoot — another Democrat — took the ordinance even further.
The Blaze reported Lightfoot’s changes “declared that police could no longer detain, arrest, or hold anyone based on their immigration status or civil immigration warrants. It also prevented police from transferring criminals into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for immigration enforcement.”
Essentially, she tried to neutralize the Chicago police force to help lawbreakers.
Back in January, the city council blocked a proposal that would have allowed police to coordinate with federal authorities, specifically regarding individuals accused of certain gang-related crimes. This measure would have likely led to more illegals being apprehended.
Earlier this year, Johnson tried to aid aliens with a “Know Your Rights” campaign, while last year he made an unsuccessful effort to secure work permits for them.
The city and state have also sued the Trump administration over the deployment of Texas National Guard to clamp down on crime, while Chicago has been declared an “ICE-free Zone” under Johnson as of October.
These immigration problems date back to the at least the 1980s and it’s only getting worse.
The Illinois Review reported last month Johnson has a 6 percent approval rating. Meanwhile, Pritzker can’t help himself from comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, and the commander in chief’s policies to Nazi Germany.
.@GovPritzker calls President Trump a Nazi — fomenting more deranged violence from his Radical Left lunatic supporters.
Pritkzer is one SICK scumbag. pic.twitter.com/7rjqrd2g08
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 8, 2025
This defiance of federal authority by Illinois, and other blue states, is not unprecedented.
In his 2021 book, “The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America,” Hoover Institute Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson details how sanctuary cities are essentially nullification zones — places where states have historically refused to comply with federal law.
In 1832, South Carolina nullified the 1828 “Tariff of Abominations,” a federal tax on imports that saw an increase in prices on manufactures. Nullifiers threatened secession in the face of former President Andrew Jackson’s efforts to enforce the law.
Illinois seems to be following the same playbook, although we can only pray these tensions don’t escalate any further.
Democrats need to get their houses in order. It’s that simple.
It’s embarrassing that the president must send in the National Guard so criminals don’t run rampant and Americans actually feel safe.
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