Chicago's newest snowplow name 'Abolish ICE,' Mayor Brandon Johnson says

Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune on Feb 23, 2026

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CHICAGO — Chicago’s newest name for a snowplow will be “Abolish ICE,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said Monday.

Johnson announced the name as the winner of a citywide contest. He had earlier given it a “full and complete” endorsement.

Other winning names include Stephen Coldbert, Pope Frío XIV, The Blizzard of Oz, Svencoolie and Caleb Chilliams.

But the dig at President Donald Trump’s ramped-up deportation efforts became the runaway favorite as the contest progressed. The name was submitted 9,200 times, making up around 70% of all submitted names, according to Block Club Chicago.

Johnson credited Chicagoans for “their unmatched creativity, sense of humor and civic pride,” in the statement. The contest saw record-breaking participation with over 39,000 voters, he said.

Posts on Johnson’s social media announcing the naming contest in December show dozens of internet users responding to recommend the name. The mayor touted the idea days later while speaking with Rev. Al Sharpton Jr. on MS NOW.

“As a city we have stood firm on our values, and it just happened to coincide with the time in which we name all of our fleet utilities,” he said. “We have to take a stronger look at how this administration has used ICE and how it has caused tremendous harm. That’s why that particular name of this truck being Abolish ICE has my full and complete endorsement.”

Johnson has long been outspoken in his opposition to Trump’s immigration efforts. His administration helped organize broad resistance to the mission of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection as they flooded the city for Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz.”

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