Chicago's Top Prosecutor Slams Mayor Johnson's Immigration Executive Order, Citing Potential Prosecution Jeopardy
Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke has deemed Mayor Brandon Johnson's executive order targeting federal immigration agents "wholly inappropriate" and warned that it could compromise the office's ability to effectively prosecute and secure convictions.
According to an internal memo from chief assistant state's attorney Yvette Loizon, the order requiring Chicago Police Department supervisors to make felony referrals to the state's attorney's office at the mayor's direction poses significant concerns about prosecution integrity.
Loizon claimed that defense attorneys would likely characterize any prosecution of federal immigration agents as "political," attempting to discredit CPD witnesses and undermine the investigation's legitimacy. Additionally, mayoral staff who issued directives for case referrals could be called as witnesses, creating serious litigation issues that jeopardize conviction and justice.
O'Neill Burke emphasized her office's obligation to follow the law while expressing deep concern about recent immigration enforcement actions. She acknowledged that prosecutors' hands are tied by federal and state laws when it comes to charging on-duty federal agents except in narrow circumstances.
In a bid to address O'Neill Burke's concerns, Mayor Johnson plans to use a 30-day rule-making period to revisit the executive order. Meanwhile, his office has drafted a protocol for handling cases involving federal agents, which will be shared with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders for review.
However, the tensions between the mayor's office and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office remain, with O'Neill Burke stating that her office will not conduct felony reviews on cases referred at the direction of the mayor's office due to concerns about compromising prosecution integrity.
Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke has deemed Mayor Brandon Johnson's executive order targeting federal immigration agents "wholly inappropriate" and warned that it could compromise the office's ability to effectively prosecute and secure convictions.
According to an internal memo from chief assistant state's attorney Yvette Loizon, the order requiring Chicago Police Department supervisors to make felony referrals to the state's attorney's office at the mayor's direction poses significant concerns about prosecution integrity.
Loizon claimed that defense attorneys would likely characterize any prosecution of federal immigration agents as "political," attempting to discredit CPD witnesses and undermine the investigation's legitimacy. Additionally, mayoral staff who issued directives for case referrals could be called as witnesses, creating serious litigation issues that jeopardize conviction and justice.
O'Neill Burke emphasized her office's obligation to follow the law while expressing deep concern about recent immigration enforcement actions. She acknowledged that prosecutors' hands are tied by federal and state laws when it comes to charging on-duty federal agents except in narrow circumstances.
In a bid to address O'Neill Burke's concerns, Mayor Johnson plans to use a 30-day rule-making period to revisit the executive order. Meanwhile, his office has drafted a protocol for handling cases involving federal agents, which will be shared with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders for review.
However, the tensions between the mayor's office and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office remain, with O'Neill Burke stating that her office will not conduct felony reviews on cases referred at the direction of the mayor's office due to concerns about compromising prosecution integrity.
If politicians start playing politics with law enforcement and prosecution, it undermines trust in our entire justice system 
. And what's really concerning is that the Cook County State's Attorney is basically saying their hands are tied because of federal laws, but I think they're just making excuses 
. What if this sets a bad precedent where mayors start telling police officers which cases to prosecute or not? It's just too much power for one person to wield 
. And what about the defense attorneys who will try to discredit CPD witnesses? That's gonna be a nightmare for any actual investigation 
.
so the big cheese in Chicago wants to play immigration cop, huh? 
newsflash: you can't just make up your own rules and expect everyone to follow along without a fight 
no thanks, give me some actual lawmaking skills over executive orders any day 
but the language being used is pretty heated 
. Mayor Johnson's intention to protect federal immigration agents from potential prosecution seems fair enough 
, but at the same time, Eileen O'Neill Burke has valid concerns about protecting the integrity of her office's prosecutions 
.
. Maybe instead of having an all-or-nothing approach, they could try to find some middle ground 
where everyone gets a little something 
?
. I mean, Eileen O'Neill Burke has a point about prosecution integrity and all that, but can't Mayor Johnson just work with her instead of trying to override her? 
I don't get why Mayor Johnson is making all these changes anyway... isn't immigration enforcement someone else's job? 
It seems like a total mess. What if the cops just stop helping out the mayor's office with cases then? That would be even worse! 
And what about the people who are actually affected by all this? The immigrants and their families... don't they deserve some sort of protection or help? 
i get why she's worried about prosecution integrity but at the same time i feel like the mayor is just trying to look good on immigration issues... maybe he should focus on building bridges instead of making executive orders that create more drama 
i think eileen o'neill burke is totally right tho - we can't have our prosecutors being bullied by the mayor's office into making political cases against federal agents 
it's like, they're trying to take away the integrity of the whole system and it's just not cool 
i mean, what happens when defense lawyers try to discredit cops and undermine investigations? it's gonna be a nightmare