Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Targets Companies Working With ICE, Israel

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Targets Companies Working With ICE, Israel

Companies that partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or work with Israel could lose lucrative Chicago city contracts under a new executive order.

The executive order, signed by Mayor Brandon Johnson on Wednesday, requires companies to disclose who they work with, with a clear goal of targeting those with federal contracts or doing business in Israel.

Johnson billed the executive order as a way to root out “corruption” and hold malignant contractors accountable. But what exactly counts as “corruption” could include lawful activities criticized by a compliant auditor or inspector general.

As WBEZ reports, “[a] public integrity violation includes some actions already banned in city code, such as a conviction of bribery.”

This executive order would expand existing code and open it up to abuses by any single individual or agency that does not afford targeted companies a right to defend themselves.

“But unlike city code, it would apply to violations adjudicated outside a courtroom,” the news outlet reported. “For instance, a finding by a government oversight agency, like an inspector general or auditor, would also be disqualifying.”

Johnson’s administration already hinted that it would target technology company Palantir for working with Israel.

WBEZ reported:

Johnson’s team cited Palantir, a data company profiting from contracts with ICE and the war in Gaza, as being among the corporations footing the bill for President Donald Trump’s ballroom under construction at the White House.

“We’re recognizing that these companies may be engaging in corrupt activities, but for a variety of reasons may not be subject to criminal penalties. Nonetheless, we don’t want them doing business with the city of Chicago,” said Johnson’s chief strategy officer, Sheila Bedi.

Joining Johnson for the signing was Dorian Warren, who is involved with two left-wing groups, Community Change Action and Not With Our Money.

“Follow the money and you find the same pattern in city after city: companies enriching this White House’s political operation or underwriting the President’s pet construction projects, are winning lucrative federal contracts in return, and then showing up on municipal vendor lists for the cities they helped attack,” Dorian Warren said.

“The people’s checkbook is not a getaway car,” Warren said. “If you want the privilege of doing business with the City of Chicago, you have to do business the right way.” 

Not With Our Money lists a handful of companies it is currently targeting, including A&T, Palantir, and Clark & AECOM.

The latter is on the list for helping repair fountains in D.C., building the new White House ballroom, and winning a contract with the Department of Homeland Security for a “border wall program.” AECOM is also overseeing upgrades at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, setting up a future clash over whether the city will really remove the contractor overseeing a massive project.

Still, this being Chicago, certain companies are already being exempted from the requirements.

Johnson already said Stonepeak, which “is seeking to take over Chicago’s parking meters from the private company that currently owns them,” will be exempted. The company also owns an air transportation company that helps deport illegal immigrants.

The city already sold the assets, spokeswoman Sheila Bedi told WBEZ.

Johnson is the latest big city mayor to target private companies.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu recently announced she would be targeting private companies that bid to lease land to ICE for upcoming operations.

Wu said that renting space to ICE “would constitute an unprovoked and unwarranted escalation, creating potentially significant risks to public safety and halting economic activity across our entire region, as Legal Insurrection recently reported.

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