Chicago contractor order makes vendor access to city procurement market contingent on diversity and ICE disclosures
A new executive order from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, signed Wednesday, makes vendor access to the city's procurement market contingent on disclosures covering leadership diversity and connections to federal law enforcement agencies including ICE. The campaign Not With Our Money, which joined Johnson at the announcement, identified $3.19 billion in Chicago contractor relationships held by 42 firms that also do business with ICE, according to the group's research. Chicago's chief procurement officer has 90 days to develop the implementing rules.
Key takeaways
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Wednesday making vendor access to the city's procurement market contingent on disclosures about leadership diversity and connections to federal law enforcement agencies including ICE.
- The campaign Not With Our Money identified $3.19 billion in Chicago contractor relationships held by 42 firms that also do business with ICE.
- Chicago's chief procurement officer has 90 days to develop the rules implementing the order.
- Doing business with ICE alone is not grounds for disqualification, though disqualifying offenses include public integrity violations, workplace discrimination findings, and wage theft within the previous five years.
- The Department of Homeland Security rejected the order and said ICE will continue enforcement in Chicago regardless of the city's position.
A new executive order from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, signed Wednesday, makes vendor access to the city's procurement market contingent on disclosures covering leadership diversity and connections to federal law enforcement agencies including ICE. The campaign Not With Our Money, which joined Johnson at the announcement, identified $3.19 billion in Chicago contractor relationships held by 42 firms that also do business with ICE, according to the group's research. Chicago's chief procurement officer has 90 days to develop the implementing rules.
The order's reach is broad. Companies with corporate families reporting at least $1 billion in net income must supply data on leadership diversity, board composition and diversity policies where Illinois state law does not already compel it. Contractors that received more than $500,000 from government or law enforcement agencies must disclose those relationships or face proceedings alleging excessive force, unlawful detention, unconstitutional policing, discrimination, or other civil rights violations. Disqualifying offenses under the order include public integrity violations, workplace discrimination findings, and wage theft violations within the previous five years. Doing business with ICE alone does not constitute grounds for disqualification.
Johnson, speaking at Arise Chicago, a nonprofit focused on immigrant rights, framed the order as the city deploying its spending power to reflect its values. He pointed specifically to a proposal by EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas to rescind requirements that employers file annual EEO reports with aggregate race, sex and job-category data. Lucas has said those reports risk hindering equal employment law enforcement and raise constitutional concerns.
Federal response and compliance timeline
The Department of Homeland Security rejected the order. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Johnson is "a sanctuary politician who bullies American companies with money that isn't his," and that ICE will continue enforcement in Chicago regardless of city hall's position. The order follows Johnson's October move barring ICE from city parking lots and garages, a restriction a federal agent said forced agents into public staging areas. DHS said its Operation Midway Blitz produced more than 4,500 arrests by December.
The 90-day rulemaking window is the next concrete milestone, with the chief procurement officer responsible for developing the governing standards. Future contract awardees must update all required disclosures at least annually, and the order directs contractors to report efforts to hire and promote formerly incarcerated people. All disclosures will be made public.
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Filed by the newsroom of MarketPR on August 30, 2026. Source: foxnews.com. Indicative figures are not investment advice.