Category: Chicago
‘ICE on Notice’: Chicago Mayor Johnson threatens to prosecute federal agents enforcing immigration laws
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) signed an “ICE on Notice” executive order on Saturday, threatening to prosecute Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for potential misconduct.
Johnson’s executive action directed the Chicago Police Department to “investigate and document alleged illegal activity by federal immigration agents and refer evidence of felony violations to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution.”
‘Instead of working with us, Illinois sanctuary politicians RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.’
CPD officers are directed to document federal enforcement activities, including by recording body-camera footage and verifying names and badge numbers of federal supervisory officers on the scene. Police are required to submit a complete report detailing any alleged violations.
Any documented illegal activities will be shared with the public, according to the city.
The mayor claimed that the order created “a framework for public accountability in the event federal agents violate local or state law while operating in Chicago.”
Johnson further alleged that the Trump administration’s federal immigration operations have “violated constitutionally protected rights.” He also claimed that ICE activities have “destabilized communities” and “provoked life-threatening confrontations.”
RELATED: Seattle’s sanctuary mayor orders local police to investigate ICE activities
Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
“Nobody is above the law. There is no such thing as ‘absolute immunity’ in America,” Johnson stated. “The lawlessness of Trump’s militarized immigration agents puts the lives and well-being of every Chicagoan in immediate danger. With today’s order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago will not sit idly by while Trump floods federal agents into our communities and terrorizes our residents.”
In a statement to the Center Square, Chicago Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara Jr. called Johnson’s executive order political bluster.
“The only good thing in that piece of toilet paper is ‘no CPD member will be required to arrest any federal agents,'” Catanzara said.
Catanzara raised concerns that the order requires police to document any allegations of misconduct against a federal agent.
“That needs to be a two-way street, and I will advise our members of such. Citizens can also be named offenders,” he said.
“These claims of criminal misconduct by ICE law enforcement are FALSE,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with WLS-TV.
McLaughlin stated that under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, “ICE is held to the highest professional standard, and officers regularly receive ongoing training.”
“As our brave law enforcement arrests and removes dangerous criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, and gang members from our communities, America can be proud of the professionalism our officers bring [to] the job, day in and day out,” the statement continued. “Instead of working with us, Illinois sanctuary politicians RELEASE violent criminals from their jails directly back into our communities to perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.”
McLaughlin contended that the state’s sanctuary policies had led to the release of 1,768 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. She noted that there are over 4,000 immigrants with active detainers currently incarcerated in Illinois jails.
Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (D) took similar action against federal immigration agents last week, requiring the Seattle Police Department to investigate, verify, and document immigration enforcement activity.
The Seattle Police Officers Guild called the mayor’s action “toothless virtue-signaling rhetoric,” declaring that the “concept of pitting two armed law enforcement agencies against each other is ludicrous and will not happen.”
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Violent repeat offenders — 1 was arrested 14 previous times — accused of attempted murder, sexual abuse in two Chicago cases
Two violent repeat offenders — one of whom had been arrested 14 previous times — are accused of attempted murder, sexual abuse, and aggravated battery in separate cases in Chicago.
The first suspect is accused of sexually abusing a woman inside a Chicago Transit Authority elevator at the Jackson Red Line station in the Loop on Tuesday, CWB Chicago reported.
Briana Bush last week also was charged with three counts of aggravated battery in connection with the stabbing of a 24-year-old man, the outlet said.
Kurtis Porter is charged with criminal sexual abuse by force and aggravated battery of a transit passenger, the outlet said.
Porter allegedly followed a 29-year-old woman into the elevator around 5:40 p.m., the outlet said, adding that police said CTA security video shows Porter obstructing the surveillance camera upon entering the elevator.
The victim told police Porter exposed himself, sexually abused her, and grabbed her face during the attack, the outlet said.
Police and CTA distributed an internal bulletin that included images of Porter, the outlet said, adding that a CTA supervisor recognized Porter hours later and notified nearby patrol officers.
Judge Shauna Boliker on Friday ordered Porter detained, the outlet said. Cook County Jail records indicate that Porter — a 30-year-old — is behind bars on no bond.
More from CWB Chicago:
CPD records show Porter has been arrested 14 other times since becoming an adult in 2014, mostly for misdemeanors, but court files show nearly all of those charges were dropped. The only exceptions were a 2019 domestic battery case that ended with court supervision he did not complete satisfactorily and two trespassing charges at the same Old Town building that resulted in a 14-day sentence in November.
Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune
The second suspect — a 21-year-old female already on probation in connection with a violent 2024 robbery aboard a CTA train — has been charged with attempted murder, CWB Chicago said in a separate story.
Briana Bush last week also was charged with three counts of aggravated battery in connection with the stabbing of a 24-year-old man, the outlet said.
Officials told the outlet Bush was fighting the man and a 37-year-old woman aboard a Red Line train at 69th Street on Jan. 5 when Bush allegedly stabbed the man and left the scene. The victim was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, the outlet added.
Judge Luciano Panici Jr. detained Bush at the state’s request, the outlet said.
Bush had been on probation in connection with a group robbery aboard a Red Line train in July 2024, the outlet said, citing court records.
More from CWB Chicago:
In that case, CTA surveillance footage allegedly showed Bush punching a 29-year-old man as he slept on the train near 95th Street and taking his phone. Police arrested Bush shortly after she fled the scene with the victim’s phone in her pocket, authorities said.
Bush was also charged with escaping electronic monitoring while awaiting trial in the robbery case, but prosecutors dropped that matter when she pleaded guilty to the robbery in September. Judge Peggy Chiampas sentenced Bush to two years of probation for the robbery.
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Russiagate Update!
Judicial Watch Sues for Records on Crossfire Hurricane Investigation Judicial Watch Sues Justice Dept. Over FBI Celebrating Peter Navarro Prosecution Judicial Watch Sues Chicago Treasurer Over Plan to Halt U.S. Treasury Purchases Americans Pay Billions to Subsidize Illegal Aliens’ College Education Judicial Watch Sues for Records on Crossfire Hurricane Investigation We are working to […]
The post Russiagate Update! appeared first on Judicial Watch.
Chicago female arrested for alleged string of beatings — after reportedly failing to appear in court for earlier battery case
A Chicago female recently was arrested in connection with an alleged string of beatings that took place after she allegedly failed to appear in court for an earlier battery case, CWB Chicago reported.
Records show that 37-year-old Diamond Miller failed to appear in court on a pending misdemeanor battery charge on Dec. 2, the outlet said, adding that court records show that Judge Peter Gonzalez ordered the court clerk to send Miller a postcard reminding her of her court dates rather than issuing a warrant.
Miller allegedly struck the woman in the face with a broken beer bottle, the outlet said, adding that the woman began bleeding immediately and suffered cuts to her face and a deep cut to her bottom lip.
Later that month, Miller allegedly went on a physical attack spree.
Prosecutors said that while she was “in AWOL status” from the pending misdemeanor battery case, Miller allegedly attacked three people within minutes near Pulaski Road and Cermak Road around noon on Dec. 21, CWB Chicago reported.
The first attack occurred on a southbound CTA #53 Pulaski bus after a 33-year-old man asked Miller to quiet down so he could hear his wife during a phone call, the outlet said, citing prosecutors during a detention petition.
Miller approached the man and struck him in the face “with great force,” causing him to experience “pain and dizziness,” CWB Chicago said, citing the filing. The bus driver stopped at Pulaski and Cermak and called police and EMS, the outlet noted.
Diamond Miller. Image source: Chicago Police Department
Prosecutors said Miller exited the bus and walked to a nearby bus shelter, the outlet reported.
At 12:17 p.m., a second victim and her friend approached the shelter, where Miller was acting erratically and telling them to give her space, the outlet said, citing prosecutors. The victim and her friend walked away — but Miller allegedly followed them, CWB Chicago said. The victim told police that while she stood on the sidewalk with her back turned, Miller approached from behind and struck her in the face with a white plastic bag that contained a hard object that felt like ice, the outlet said, adding that the victim called 911.
Miller returned to the bus shelter minutes later, when a 54-year-old woman — the third victim — and her 74-year-old mother approached while switching bus lines, CWB Chicago said, citing prosecutors. The detention filing said Miller yelled at them and accused them of following her, according to the outlet. The daughter helped her mother — who uses a walker — away from the shelter, but Miller allegedly followed them and continued yelling, CWB Chicago said.
The daughter saw a CTA bus idling on the corner and asked the driver if her mother could board and wait until the next bus arrived, but the driver declined, the outlet said, citing the filing. As the woman and her mother walked away, Miller allegedly struck the woman in the face with a broken beer bottle, the outlet said, adding that the woman began bleeding immediately and suffered cuts to her face and a deep cut to her bottom lip.
The second victim saw the attack on the third victim and recorded part of it with her phone, the outlet said, citing prosecutors.
The first victim — the man from the bus — was taken to St. Anthony Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, CWB Chicago said, adding that prosecutors said the third victim received five stitches.
Police said they arrested Miller at 12:50 p.m. the same day and charged her with three felony counts of aggravated battery and one misdemeanor count of aggravated assault of a person older than 60.
Judge Robert Kuzas detained Miller, CWB Chicago said.
Records indicate Miller was booked into Cook County Jail on Dec. 24, and she has no bond. Her next court date is Feb. 19, jail records say.
CWB Chicago said Miller spent three days in jail in connection with four retail theft cases in October. A fifth retail theft case was dropped in November, the outlet said, even though Miller didn’t appear in court. However, records indicate the store’s representative didn’t show up for court, either, the outlet noted. A separate misdemeanor battery case was dropped in August, CWB Chicago added.
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Judicial Watch Sues Chicago Treasurer Over Plan to Halt U.S. Treasury Purchases
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it filed an Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against Melissa Conyears-Ervin, treasurer of the City of Chicago, for details of her declared plan to stop buying new U.S. Treasury securities and divest the city of indirect holdings (Judicial Watch Inc. v. Chicago Treasurer’s Office (No. 2026CH00302)). […]
The post Judicial Watch Sues Chicago Treasurer Over Plan to Halt U.S. Treasury Purchases appeared first on Judicial Watch.
McRib fake-out? Sticky lawsuit claims no ‘actual pork rib meat’ in fan-favorite McDonald’s menu item
A class-action lawsuit filed last month is challenging McDonald’s over a cult-favorite menu item, the McRib.
The lawsuit, filed on December 23 in U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges that McDonald’s engaged in false advertising when promoting the limited-time menu item.
‘We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.’
The four plaintiffs in the complaint are Peter Le of Baldwin Park, California; Charles Lynch of Poughkeepsie, New York; Darien Baker of Chicago, Illinois; and Darrick Wilson of Washington, D.C.
RELATED: McDonald’s team admits workload on hated AI Christmas ad ‘far exceeded’ live-action shoots
Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images
The complaint claims that the McRib “does not contain any meaningful quantity of actual pork rib meat — indeed, none at all.” The plaintiffs claim that the fast-food chain uses lower-quality cuts of meat instead of rib meat, including, “inter alia, pork shoulder, heart, tripe or scalded stomach.”
In December 2024, when the McRib was available, the complaint shows that the McRib was one of the most expensive individual items on the menu, even exceeding the price of a Big Mac on average.
As a result, had they “known that the McRib did not contain any actual pork rib meat, [the plaintiffs] would not have purchased the McRib or would only have purchased it for a lower price.”
In a statement obtained by CBS News, McDonald’s USA said, “This lawsuit distorts the facts, and many of the claims are inaccurate. Food quality and safety are at the heart of everything we do — that’s why we’re committed to using real, quality ingredients across our entire menu. Our fan-favorite McRib sandwich is made with 100% pork sourced from farmers and suppliers across the U.S. We’ve always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them.”
CBS also reported that McDonald’s denied the specific claim that the McRib contains pork hearts, tripe, or scalded stomach and that the company said the McRib has a base of 100% seasoned boneless pork.
The complaint emphasizes that the marketing for the McRib was “materially misleading” for consumers, potentially affecting their purchasing decisions.
The McRib was first introduced in Kansas City in 1981.
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Trump Withdraws National Guard From Three Cities After Supreme Court Setback
‘CRIME has been greatly reduced’
Large School Systems See Plummeting Foreign-Language Students Thanks To Immigration Enforcement
‘It is the American kids from poorer families, who already face significant obstacles, that are trapped in failing schools that are burdened with the impossible task of addressing the educational needs of large numbers of migrants,’ FAIR’s Ira Mehlman said.
‘Law enforcement isn’t to prevent crime’ — Jasmine Crockett makes wild claims about ICE and National Guard
Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas has some interesting ideas on how law enforcement should be utilized.
Crockett was speaking on the “Grounded” podcast when she was asked about the presence of military vehicles in cities like Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
‘They are not trained to deal with civilians in that way.’
Host Jon Tester wanted to hear Crockett’s thoughts, asking the congresswoman if she thought it was good or bad to have military presence in those cities.
“I think it’s terrible,” the politician replied. “First of all, you know, I’m like, how is it that we have a government that is hostile towards its people? Because that’s what it is. I mean, we are in the midst of a hostile government takeover, and it is our government that is, like, bringing the hostility.”
Crockett prefaced her remarks, made in September but now going viral, by saying that she would need to go into “legal mode” to explain how agencies like ICE and the United States Armed Forces are being misused by the Trump administration.
It was during that portion of her statements that Crockett made the odd claim about how local law enforcement is supposed to operate:
“I want to be clear that, like, law enforcement isn’t to prevent crime. Law enforcement solves crime. OK? That is what they are supposed to do. They are supposed to solve crimes, not necessarily, um, prevent them from happening per se.”
RELATED: Jasmine Crockett claims Republicans ‘LOVE’ her
In addition to those views, Crockett claimed she does not believe the “average person” understands the different types of training that various law enforcement or military agencies undergo.
“So literally ICE is not trained to go out and do what they’re doing,” the 44-year-old stated.
However, not only do ICE’s Enforcement and Removal operations teams train for “arrest, detention, and removal of aliens,” but the American Immigration Lawyers Association even called ICE agents “among the most highly trained federal law enforcement officers in the United States” in 2018.
Moreover, the St. Louis native said she worried about the U.S. military’s “readiness” due to the Trump administration “not doing smart things” with its allies. She then cited “different training” and different missions as being the reasons why she believes ICE and the National Guard are being misused by Trump.
“Local law enforcement, whether it’s your local municipal police, your sheriff’s deputies, your state troopers, they are trained completely differently. They are the ones that are trained in investigatory work. They are the ones that are trained on how to testify in trial, how to pull a case together. Same thing with, like, your FBI, your DEA, and that kind of stuff,” Crockett went on.
The congresswoman then boldly claimed that those who signed up for the military do not have the training to deal with civilians.
“We are taking those that signed up for the service in whatever capacity, and we are now putting them on the streets and having them with guns. They are not trained to deal with civilians in that way. That is not what they are trained to do. Like, when you sign up for any military, you are a trained killer. You are trained for war, not for going and policing our streets. All right?”
Not only are civilian interactions common practice in training operations for U.S. military members, per official training documents, but the District of Columbia National Guard specifically trained for civilian interactions as recently as May 2024 under the Joe Biden administration.
The training noted the D.C. National Guard as having a long history of supporting operations in D.C. and that the training would help the entity “continue to support local law enforcement agencies in the metropolitan area.”
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