Chicago requires contractors to disclose ICE ties under new rules

Chicago has introduced new rules requiring companies that hold or seek municipal contracts to reveal ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The measure puts $3.19 billion in public money under scrutiny.

Mayor Brandon Johnson signed Executive Order 2026-06. The order does not automatically bar a company from city business because it has a commercial relationship with ICE. Instead, the administration says it wants information to evaluate contractors on civil rights, labor practices and public integrity.

Existing contractors and subcontractors will have 60 days to report whether they received more than $500,000 over the past five years through agreements with government agencies. They must also disclose involvement in civil or administrative proceedings involving allegations of excessive force, unlawful detention, unconstitutional police conduct or discrimination. Companies with municipal contracts worth more than $100,000 face additional reporting requirements.

The order also creates a mechanism to block entities from receiving city contracts or subcontracts if they committed a “public integrity violation” during the previous five years. Conduct covered by the rule includes bribery, wage theft and workplace discrimination, according to details cited from local broadcaster WBEZ Chicago. Unlike some existing municipal bans, the new measure can take account of decisions by government oversight bodies, including inspectors general and auditors, not only court convictions.

Future contractors will have to certify that they did not engage in the listed conduct during the specified period and promise not to do so while under contract. The policy forms part of the national Not With Our Money campaign, which promotes using public procurement rules to impose corporate accountability conditions. Chicago says it is the first major municipality to join the initiative. The city also identified 42 companies with ICE ties that held Chicago contracts.

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Public money must strengthen our neighborhoods, create opportunities and serve those who consider Chicago home, not finance practices that harm our communities.