Chicago-area companies that earned lucrative contracts supporting President Donald Trump's deportation push also benefited from deals with the city, a recent investigation by the Chicago Sun-Times found.
A web of agreements shows the Trump administration and Mayor Brandon Johnson's city hall have overlapping needs — even as they spar publicly and agree on next to nothing. Alderman Rossana Rodriguez (33rd) is calling for a city review to determine whether Chicago taxpayer dollars should be going to firms working with the Department of Homeland Security and its on-the-ground agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
"We do have to take this seriously and make sure that we are not collaborating by hiring or benefiting companies that are acting against us," said Rodriguez, who was born in Puerto Rico and represents one of the city's most diverse wards.
The deals are among millions of dollars in contracts granted to Illinois firms supporting federal immigration enforcement agencies, including relocation services for agents and the sale of pepper balls that agents routinely use to fire on protesters.
Among these companies, Motorola Solutions scored a $267,300 contract in late September to provide a radio network for Homeland Security Investigations agents stationed in Chicago — among $138 million in federal contracts the company has been awarded since 2007.
SP Plus, a Loop-based firm previously known as Standard Parking, has had a host of contracts with the city, including deals worth nearly $206 million to manage parking facilities and ground transportation at O'Hare and Midway airports. It has another contract to lease parking spots for ICE in Long Beach, California, for up to $895,000.
Invisio Communications, a Danish company with Loop offices, got a $33,770 contract in June to supply communication equipment to HSI officials, part of the $4.3 million the company has been awarded by federal agencies since 2017. The company, which specializes in tactical headsets, got $31,000 from the city months earlier, but it’s unclear what the money was for.
The analysis of federal and city records shows at least four other companies that held contracts with immigration agencies are doing work for the city, including Vernon Hills-based CDW Government, which got a pair of contracts with ICE for forensic computers and software licenses. The contracts ended in 2023 and were valued at more than $45,000.
Alderman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez is calling for a city review to determine whether Chicago taxpayer dollars should be going to firms working with the Department of Homeland Security. "We do have to take this seriously and make sure that we are not collaborating by hiring or benefiting companies that are acting against us."
The recent Trump-endorsed spending bill is creating a windfall for companies profiting from his nationwide deportation blitz. The measure provides $170 billion more for border security and immigration enforcement, with the funding beginning July 4 when President Donald Trump signed the legislation.
Since he returned to the White House in January, his administration has reported that contracts worth at least $10.7 million were awarded to Illinois firms aiding ICE and Customs and Border Protection, including for weaponry. United Tactical Systems, a Lake Forest-based company commonly known as Pepperball Solutions, was paid $47,500 in June to provide ICE with non-lethal weapons for crowd control during demonstrations at the ICE training center at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Since April, Customs and Border Protection has also entered into three contracts worth $1.1 million with the same company, for pepper balls used in the El Centro Sector, where Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino came from before leading the Chicago-area immigration operation. The contracts also provided the agency with a pressurized air launcher sent to Tucson, Arizona.
Such weapons have increasingly been used by federal agents in the Chicago area, particularly at the Broadview ICE temporary detention facility.
Brandon Lee of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said, “I do think that all levels of government, including the city, should take a look at who’s doing business with ICE and CBP and DHS at this moment.”
The company Motorola Solutions does not respond to questions. Neither does the mayor's office.
The Trump administration is planning to hire 10,000 new ICE agents and 3,000 more Border Patrol agents, and is making costly buys for flashy recruitment commercials. The funding has created a windfall for companies profiting from his nationwide deportation blitz.
A spokesperson for PepperBall said the irritant-filled projectiles “can help reduce the risk of lethal force and deescalate situations” with “proper use and training.”
A web of agreements shows the Trump administration and Mayor Brandon Johnson's city hall have overlapping needs — even as they spar publicly and agree on next to nothing. Alderman Rossana Rodriguez (33rd) is calling for a city review to determine whether Chicago taxpayer dollars should be going to firms working with the Department of Homeland Security and its on-the-ground agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
"We do have to take this seriously and make sure that we are not collaborating by hiring or benefiting companies that are acting against us," said Rodriguez, who was born in Puerto Rico and represents one of the city's most diverse wards.
The deals are among millions of dollars in contracts granted to Illinois firms supporting federal immigration enforcement agencies, including relocation services for agents and the sale of pepper balls that agents routinely use to fire on protesters.
Among these companies, Motorola Solutions scored a $267,300 contract in late September to provide a radio network for Homeland Security Investigations agents stationed in Chicago — among $138 million in federal contracts the company has been awarded since 2007.
SP Plus, a Loop-based firm previously known as Standard Parking, has had a host of contracts with the city, including deals worth nearly $206 million to manage parking facilities and ground transportation at O'Hare and Midway airports. It has another contract to lease parking spots for ICE in Long Beach, California, for up to $895,000.
Invisio Communications, a Danish company with Loop offices, got a $33,770 contract in June to supply communication equipment to HSI officials, part of the $4.3 million the company has been awarded by federal agencies since 2017. The company, which specializes in tactical headsets, got $31,000 from the city months earlier, but it’s unclear what the money was for.
The analysis of federal and city records shows at least four other companies that held contracts with immigration agencies are doing work for the city, including Vernon Hills-based CDW Government, which got a pair of contracts with ICE for forensic computers and software licenses. The contracts ended in 2023 and were valued at more than $45,000.
Alderman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez is calling for a city review to determine whether Chicago taxpayer dollars should be going to firms working with the Department of Homeland Security. "We do have to take this seriously and make sure that we are not collaborating by hiring or benefiting companies that are acting against us."
The recent Trump-endorsed spending bill is creating a windfall for companies profiting from his nationwide deportation blitz. The measure provides $170 billion more for border security and immigration enforcement, with the funding beginning July 4 when President Donald Trump signed the legislation.
Since he returned to the White House in January, his administration has reported that contracts worth at least $10.7 million were awarded to Illinois firms aiding ICE and Customs and Border Protection, including for weaponry. United Tactical Systems, a Lake Forest-based company commonly known as Pepperball Solutions, was paid $47,500 in June to provide ICE with non-lethal weapons for crowd control during demonstrations at the ICE training center at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Since April, Customs and Border Protection has also entered into three contracts worth $1.1 million with the same company, for pepper balls used in the El Centro Sector, where Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino came from before leading the Chicago-area immigration operation. The contracts also provided the agency with a pressurized air launcher sent to Tucson, Arizona.
Such weapons have increasingly been used by federal agents in the Chicago area, particularly at the Broadview ICE temporary detention facility.
Brandon Lee of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said, “I do think that all levels of government, including the city, should take a look at who’s doing business with ICE and CBP and DHS at this moment.”
The company Motorola Solutions does not respond to questions. Neither does the mayor's office.
The Trump administration is planning to hire 10,000 new ICE agents and 3,000 more Border Patrol agents, and is making costly buys for flashy recruitment commercials. The funding has created a windfall for companies profiting from his nationwide deportation blitz.
A spokesperson for PepperBall said the irritant-filled projectiles “can help reduce the risk of lethal force and deescalate situations” with “proper use and training.”
This is super concerning, right? It's like we're being played by big corporations who are profiting off our tax dollars while doing stuff that could harm people. I mean, pepper balls for crowd control? 
That just doesn't seem right. We need to take a closer look at how our city is spending its money and make sure it's not lining the pockets of companies that are supporting immigration enforcement. 
It's time to get some transparency and accountability in Chicago! 
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like isn't it weird that mayor brandon johnson's office is all about collaboration with trump's ppl even when they're clearly on opposite sides of everything? i mean what's going on here? are we just gonna turn a blind eye while chicago taxpayer dollars are being funneled to companies that supportICE and cbp? alderman rodriguez is totally right to call for a city review, we need more transparency and accountability in this government 
Just think about it, all these companies are getting huge contracts from the city and then they're also profiting off of helping Trump's deportation push. Like what's the point of having a public contract if you're just gonna be a pawn in the game anyway? 
. i mean, it's like they're profiting from the very thing they're supposed to be helping with 
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It's just wild how some companies see profits in deploying non-lethal "tools" for crowd control. Meanwhile, the city and Trump admin are more concerned with hiring new agents and buying recruitment ads than with figuring out a humane solution to immigration issues. We need some real leadership on this one... 
. Like, what even is the point of those things? Are we really just going to give corporations a license to carry out some kind of mass control measure and then pretend like everything is okay 
? I'm all for keeping our communities safe, but this feels like a whole different level of messed up 
. It's time to get real about who we're doing business with and what our values even are 
. Chicago is already struggling to fund its schools, police department, and other essential services, but Mayor Johnson's city hall is lining the pockets of companies that profit from Trump's deportation push 
This is what happens when politics and business get too cozy 
. We need transparency and accountability, not backroom deals that benefit special interests only 
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and SP Plus has made nearly $206m for managing parking facilities at O'Hare airport 
. is it weird that these companies are profiting from the city while also doing work with ICE and Customs and Border Protection? 
It's like we're biting the hand that feeds us...or in this case, the same hand that's trying to kick people out of the country. 
. I mean, come on, who needs pepper balls to disperse protesters anyway? It's just another example of our leaders being tone-deaf to the people they're supposed to be serving 
A city review is needed to ensure taxpayer dollars aren't supporting firms that act against the public interest 