Chicago: ICYMI: Mayor Brandon Johnson Slams Trump on ICE Raids, Childcare Cuts, Climate Denialism

CHICAGO – In case you missed it, this week, Mayor Johnson forcefully pushed back against the Trump administration's attacks on working people, speaking out against President Trump's ICE raids, his administration freezing childcare funding, and the President pulling out of international climate agreements.

Following the horrific and unprovoked shooting of a mother, Renee Nicole Good, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Mayor Johnson issued a video statement that called out the Trump administration for imposing terror on communities across the nation by deputizing ICE as the President's own personal militarized force.

"When we have rogue, masked federal agents killing people on our streets, we are all less safe," said Mayor Brandon Johnson. "The point of this operation, of ICE raids, and of this president's rhetoric is to divide us and to dehumanize our neighbors. Do not let them change the part of your soul that sees a fellow human being when you look at your neighbor. We will get through this."

The Mayor emphasized that Chicago stands with the people of Minneapolis and the countless communities that have been subject to the abuses of the Trump administration. Mayor Johnson also renewed his call for full accountability surrounding ICE's killing of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, a father of three who was shot by federal agents shortly after dropping his kids off at school in Franklin Park last September.

The video statement went viral on social media, garnering over 10 million views across various platforms so far. On Instagram alone, the statement amassed more than 840,000 likes, with an additional 84,000 likes to date on X, demonstrating mass support for the Mayor's message of accountability and justice.

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Mayor Johnson has reached millions with his pushback against the cruelty of the Trump administration. Another video pushing back against racist language around immigrant communities recently surpassed 10 million views, while collecting over 1 million likes.

Between June 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026, Mayor Johnson gained 400,000 followers on Instagram, becoming the second-most followed Mayor in the United States on the platform. Throughout 2025, the Mayor's official Instagram account garnered more than 66 million views.

During a Jan. 7 press conference, Mayor Johnson condemned the Trump administration for freezing $1 billion dollars of funding for childcare and family assistance programs across the state. He reaffirmed Chicago's commitment to preserving access to childcare that is affordable while protecting childcare workers from Trump's cuts.

"This is nothing new. These are the type of threats that this administration has put forward across the board since [President Trump's] been in office. It's quite upsetting for a lot of working people across this country because he continues to abdicate his responsibility in supporting the interests of working people," said Mayor Johnson. "I'm going to continue to advocate for childcare providers. I'm going to continue to fight for those workers, making sure that those families have accessible and affordable and predictable childcare."

In May, Mayor Johnson stewarded a $7 million City investment to provide a salary increase for 3,000 early childhood educators, helping to retain and support Chicago's childcare workforce and provide affordable childcare to families.

Today, Mayor Johnson joined a coalition of U.S. Mayors to denounce the Trump administration's withdrawal from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and 65 additional international climate, labor, and human rights agreements. The Mayor reaffirmed Chicago's commitment to combating climate change despite the Trump administration's rejection of scientific consensus and its dereliction from international cooperation.

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"The President's decision to withdraw from the UNFCCC is more than symbolic—it's a direct hit to American lives and livelihoods. In cities like Chicago, we're already feeling the effects: record-breaking heat waves, soaring energy costs, and unprecedented flooding. But unlike the federal government, we're rising to meet the challenges," said Mayor Johnson. "We're investing in green infrastructure, expanding clean energy production, and building sustainable and affordable housing in communities hit hardest by climate change. We'll continue to share our successes with cities around the world to ensure that, even when the federal government fails us, we will keep progress marching forward for our communities."

In 2025, the City transitioned to 100% renewable energy, becoming one of the largest U.S. cities to source power from renewable energy while cutting carbon emissions by 290,000 metric tons annually—the equivalent of removing 62,000 cars from the road each year.

The Johnson administration further built upon its clean energy commitment with the completion of rooftop solar installations and full energy retrofits at two Chicago Public Library locations—South Chicago and Humboldt Park. Bringing onsite energy generation and energy-efficiency improvements to historically underserved communities helps build ground-level resilience while providing increased comfort, operational cost savings, and positive environmental outcomes.

Through initiatives like Green Homes Chicago and Green Social Housing, the City continues to take steps to make housing safer, more sustainable, more energy-efficient, and more affordable for Chicagoans.

Through Our Roots Chicago, the Climate Infrastructure Fund (https://chrome-extension//efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/sites/dpd-recovery-plan/CIF/CIF_info.pdf), and collaborative efforts like the Space to Grow (https://www.spacetogrowchicago.org/) program, the City supports the expansion of the urban tree canopy and other green infrastructure, helping make Chicago more resilient to flooding. In 2025, the City celebrated the milestone (https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2025/november/our-roots-90-percent.html) of 68,000 trees planted since the start of the Our Roots Chicago program.

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