Leadership of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the budget watchdog Civic Federation both expressed disappointment that Johnson did not crib many ideas from the budget working group he convened, or more seriously consider efficiencies. The mayor “doesn’t seem to recognize the investment we’ve already made,” Civic Committee President Derek Douglas said, while “investments the city is supposed to be making, he seems to be trying to offload those” on the business community.

The Johnson administration similarly plans a five-year loan to cover “extraordinary settlements” tied to allegations of police wrongdoing, including the $90 million “global settlement” that will put to rest 176 lawsuits tied to former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts.

“This week, Judge Evans has issued an order that ICE may not come on to county property without a warrant for the arrest of a particular person — warrantless arrests,” Preckwinkle said. “Likewise, I have issued an executive order to the same effect; I don’t want them on county property either.”

In all, at least 17 robberies have been reported since early August. In each robbery, multiple suspects approach a victim who is by themselves. Using “physical force,” the robbers then steal a victim’s property, typically a gold chain or necklace, according to police.

“Proposals to revive an outdated and harmful head tax, presented as a tool for ‘community safety,’ along with yet another increase to the cloud tax, and the creation of incredibly flawed social media tax place Chicago at a competitive disadvantage nationally,” the Illinois Chamber of Commerce said in a statement.

Instead of confronting ballooning pension costs, runaway personnel spending or bloated bureaucracy, Johnson’s budget avoids meaningful reform. His projected $200 million in “savings” comes mostly from temporary measures like hiring freezes and contract cuts not long-term efficiencies.

According to a DHS bulletin published Tuesday, cartel-linked networks operating out of Mexico are coordinating with domestic extremists and street gangs to monitor, harass, and attack federal immigration personnel. The department said gang members in neighborhoods such as Pilsen and Little Village have acted as rooftop “spotters” equipped with radios and firearms.

A measure aimed at investigating misconduct by federal agents was among the trio of resolutions passed by the committee. Also included is a resolution condemning the endangering of children during recent immigration raids and calls for support of “immigrant communities, racial justice and constitutional freedoms and opposition of military presence in Chicago.”

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said she was a “little startled” after seeing TV images of clashes between agents and the public during President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration crackdown. “I live in Chicago if folks haven’t noticed,” she said. “And I’m not blind, right?”

The Department of Homeland Security says the officer overstayed a tourist visa that expired in 2015.

Chicago’s downtown office vacancy rate is now estimated at 28 percent. It’s not the largest nationally, but it’s still high compared to cities such as New York at 13 percent.

Chicago homeowners on the South and West Sides are bracing for huge property tax hikes, driven by surging assessments and government spending tied to pensions.

Video of the incident shows Fuentes talking to agents inside the emergency room of Humboldt Park Health, asking if they have a signed warrant and telling the agents a man — who they had detained and had at the hospital — has constitutional rights. Fuentes does not touch the agents, one of whom tells her he will arrest her if she does not leave. Fuentes again asks the agents if they have a warrant, and an agent grabs Fuentes, spins her around and handcuffs her hands.

By far the largest driver of growth in the city’s Corporate Fund — its central operating budget that relies on local taxes for revenue — has been a steady, legally mandated ramp-up of annual payments into the city’s ailing pension systems. Also feeding the city’s pernicious spending growth is a tangle of union-negotiated contracts that mandate regular pay hikes for city employees, with police receiving some of the most generous steps thanks to a 2023 bargaining agreement.

“Now that ICE is showing up at elementary schools with weapons and no warrants attempting to terrorize kids I am in favor of teachers and staff being armed to protect children,” Elias Cepeda, a professor at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) in Chicago, posted to social media in January.