Federal agent says Chicago’s ‘ICE-free zones’ endanger operations, embolden protesters

As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signs an executive order establishing "ICE-free zones," a federal special agent working on deportations said these types of measures are causing real complications and hampering ICE’s ability to crack down on criminal illegal immigrants.

The special agent, who works deportations in New England, told Fox News Digital that sanctuary policies banning ICE agents from using police departments or other city areas for staging often forces agents to be exposed, having to prepare for missions in public areas.

The agent explained that if ICE does not have a nearby office and is barred from using city grounds, "that means you're stuck with, ‘Okay, I'm going to go to a supermarket. I'm going to go to some office park if I can find one, maybe a park while I don my vest and all that, and I'm getting briefed."

On Monday, Johnson, a Democrat, signed an executive order prohibiting the use of city parking lots and garages for civil immigration enforcement staging areas, processing locations or operations bases.

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Johnson touted the order as establishing "ICE-free zones." Speaking at a press conference for the signing on Monday, he said the order also enables "unwilling private businesses" to refuse ICE agents’ use of their property to stage for operations. He said the order is "aimed at reining in this out-of-control administration."

"If the federal government violates this executive order, we will take them to court," Johnson said, urging Trump to leave Chicago "the freak alone."

In a statement posted on X, Johnson accused ICE agents of "detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents."

"With this Executive Order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy," Johnson wrote.

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The White House responded by issuing a blistering statement in which it called the order "a disgusting betrayal of every law-abiding citizen."

The White House called the order a "sick policy" that "coddles criminal illegal alien killers, rapists, and gangbangers who prey on innocent Americans."

"Shielding the most depraved, violent criminal illegal aliens from justice is not only an insult to every Chicagoan, it’s also a dangerous intensification of Democrats’ lunatic ‘sanctuary’ agenda where criminal illegals come before American citizens," said the White House statement.

According to the agent, Chicago is not the only sanctuary city that bars ICE from using municipal property to stage immigration enforcement operations.

"What does that leave you with in an urban environment? You're going to go to a supermarket. Who's at a supermarket? Everyone and their grandmother," the agent said.

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The agent explained that preparing for missions in public spaces presents an operational risk because it allows anti-ICE activists to track and publicize their movements.

"They can see us getting together and they put it on Facebook immediately because there's different Facebook pages that we know they put us on," said the agent.

The agent also expressed concern over sanctuary policies keeping police departments from being able to assist if protesters get violent.

"Being in a sanctuary city, in the event this gets violent, or they get handsy or somebody gets hurt, either a government person or a protester. What are the local police going to do? Are they going to let us deal with it? I don't know," said the agent.