‘Not true:’ State’s Attorney criticizes mayor for saying she helped with ICE order

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he worked with the Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke on an executive order directing police to investigate federal agents, but she says that’s not true.

During the press conference addressing the order Saturday, Johnson claimed he had worked with Burke’s office.

“We worked in collaboration with the state’s attorney,” he said.

On social media, Burke posted that the mayor’s statement “is not true,” and that her office did not receive a copy of the executive order until it was released to the public.

“During this fraught atmosphere, the Mayor of Chicago issued an executive order and falsely claimed that that the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed and supported his order,” Burke said in a statement. “The CCSAO was not provided with a copy of the Executive Order until it was released to the public on Saturday. Because this order changes the process for how felony charges are evaluated, a thorough analysis is being conducted to assess its legality.”

That order was signed by Johnson on Saturday. The first of its kind in the U.S., the order directs Chicago police to investigate federal agents for potential criminal charges.

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“Our police department will document ICE and Border Patrol activity, and attempt to identify officers on the scene. This evidence will be preserved, and at the direction of my office, will be forwarded to the state’s attorney office for potential prosecution,” he said.

Burke does say she agrees that Ice agents’ conduct during “Operation: Midway Blitz” was “alarming.”

“We have all witnessed the alarming conduct of ICE agents across the country. Their abhorrent behavior is harming our communities and fracturing the relationship between law enforcement and the public,” she said.

Still, her office says it lacks jurisdiction over federal agencies except in limited circumstances, and she is examining the order to see whether her office can comply with any of it.

As for Chicago police, the department is expected to release how it plans to comply with the order within the next 30 days.

Johnson’s office released a statement Monday saying its order “does not direct the State’s Attorney’s Office to do anything,” and points to Chicago police as the force that was most affected by the order.

The statement also added that “the State’s Attorney would then decide whether or not to bring ICE/CBP officers up on charges.”