Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Wednesday requiring city contractors to disclose past work done for other governments and law enforcement agencies — including immigration enforcement — but stopped short of banning them from doing business with the city.
Speaking at a news conference at Arise Chicago, an immigrants rights nonprofit, the mayor touted the move as the latest example of his administration standing up to President Donald Trump following last fall’s mass deportation blitz in Chicago. The order comes amid a spate of announcements from Johnson’s office that could double as moves he touts as progressive wins for his base heading into the 2027 election.
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It’s not clear what practical effect, if any, the mayor’s new disclosure rules will have. Asked what they would mean for existing city contracts, Johnson said, “The first step is to turn the light on, right?”
“It’s about creating more of a transparent, open process for discovery,” he said. “In terms of its ramifications, I believe ultimately the goal is to make sure that we are protecting taxpayers, right?”
In the next 60 days, current contractors and subcontractors must disclose whether they’ve gotten over $500,000 from governments or law enforcement agencies in the last five years, according to an announcement from the mayor’s office. Vendors must also say whether they’ve faced investigations over civil rights violations including excessive force and unlawful detention. Those with more than $100,000 in city contracts have to disclose workplace violations and charitable donations.
Johnson opened up his remarks by quoting his favorite Bible verse: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
“Chicago spends billions of dollars every year purchasing goods and services. That is our treasure, and today we’re making it very clear where our heart is,” he told reporters. “Our heart is with the immigrant families who have endured the fear and intimidation of the Trump administration’s Midway Blitz assault, which launched almost a year ago.”
But he also acknowledged that his order does not actually ban companies who have done business with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Patrol from getting city contracts.
The new decree also calls for the chief procurement officer and a newly formed task force to come up with rules on how to address vendors with public integrity violations. It follows an executive order from Johnson this month cracking down on — but also not banning — data center proliferation in Chicago. The mayor said it is up to the City Council to pass an actual moratorium.
And it also follows executive orders Johnson signed earlier this year calling on both Chicago police to investigate federal immigration agents and ban them from city property.
The latest executive action also reflects the mayor’s position after three years of tough battles with aldermen. Johnson sees little opening to pass new legislation thanks to an obstinate opposition bloc that has defied him again and again, but some of the most ardent progressives in his coalition have felt a resurgence of enthusiasm for his leadership under Trump’s second term that has put Chicago and other liberal cities in the federal government’s crosshairs.
On the issue of immigration enforcement, at least 21 aldermen have now signed onto a pledge to reject corporate and political action committee donations from companies connected to ICE. Though many were unlikely to receive such money anyways, the issue could serve as an animating force for communities across the city that remain angry at Trump’s deportation campaign in Chicago.