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Brandon Johnson: “We do have six cranes in the air right now, and we have 18…”

Featuring: Brandon Johnson, Democratic | Mayor of Chicago | Illinois

Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more

Published January 13, 2026 | Video Starts at 09:30

And you see it as an issue with businesses not wanting to come to the city. Well, thank you for that question. So, first of all, We do have six cranes in the air right now, and we have 18 more confirmed. Let me just say that our economy has shifted dramatically. Cranes is not the only indication of economic prowess. Right. So we have to, like, remove ourselves from an antiquated idea about what vibrancy looks like. (09:30–09:35)

CLAIM

Asserts that there are currently six cranes in operation with 18 more confirmed in Chicago.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Brandon Johnson

“We released the largest TIF surplus in the history of Chicago for a half a billion dollars to return back to our public schools.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 07:37-07:45
“We have one of the most diverse economies in the world. In fact, not one industry comprises more than 13% of our overall GDP.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 10:44-10:53
“We've had the safest summer we had in 65 years.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 26:48-26:53
“The fewest amount of homicides that we've had in over 60 years.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 26:52-26:56
“20% of the world's fresh water is in our front yard.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 33:00-33:03
“This lawsuit is another effort to provide some real check and balance to [the Trump] administration.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 01:55-01:55
“ICE Free Zones that I put forth an executive order to prevent ICE from establishing and setting up its operation in public spaces that are…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 02:19-02:30
“This will help strengthen these sensitive zones or vulnerable zones, churches, schools, hospitals, and the like, that would prevent ICE from…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 02:29-02:42
“It also will challenge the federal government to essentially stop releasing indiscriminately tear gas, you know, in crowds and on people.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 02:42-02:58
“The budget that I have proposed, 98% of it was intact.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 04:06-04:12
“We're going to invest in young people, invest in mental health, invest in community safety, invest in programming that's going to continue…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 04:16-04:27
“There were also some projections that they made with their revenue that don't line up with our projections.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 04:51-04:59
“I'm still concerned about potential middle year layoffs.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 05:22-05:26
“I don't believe a rubber stamp city council has ever benefited the city of Chicago.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 05:40-05:47
“We have seen rubber stamp city councils that have caused tremendous harm to working people.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 05:55-06:02
“The number one subgroup of enrollees and registrants since I've been in office at our city colleges are young black men.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 08:09-08:16
“Since I've been in office, we're talking about $20 billion of new investments.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 10:17-10:22
“PSI Quantum Southeast side of Chicago, a working class community where the steel mills once existed. No investment there in 30 plus years.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 11:30-11:40
“A hospital's being built. That's the first hospital that's about to be built in Chicago and God knows when.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 11:46-11:53
“We are looking to make stronger investments in our block clubs.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 14:44-14:52
“We have done these take back the block initiatives where we spend an entire afternoon on a block in a neighborhood.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 15:06-15:13
“Community safety is the highest portion of our budget.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 16:47-16:50
“One of the reasons why the charges were dropped is because the Trump administration lied about what happened.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 19:15-19:23
“I'm going to continue to put forth executive orders using every single tool that I have available to me and including the courts to be able…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 20:09-20:20
“Previous administrations have not prioritized working people.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 22:04-22:15
“The speaker of the House recently confirmed his support for the millionaires tax.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 22:52-22:57
“In this budget, we put the overtime budget at 200 million.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 23:31-23:37
“Since I've been in office, overtime has actually gone down.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 24:02-24:06
“We've put forth a stronger mechanism in place where [unreimbursed costs for private events] is no longer the norm.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 24:54-25:05
“Now we're set at $200 million [for police overtime].”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 25:36-25:39
“The development that's coming across our commercial corridor is moving at a pace that I believe is setting us up to continue to have a…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 28:27-28:40
“This is really about an unfair tax structure that over relies upon property taxes as its only means to generate revenue.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 28:55-29:03
“I've consistently called for whether it's the corporate head tax or the millionaires tax.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 29:02-29:14
“I did not raise property taxes in my budget because I just believe that the ultra rich and large corporations have to do more in this…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 29:31-29:43
“Three weeks ago, working with the CTA as well as CPD, the implementation of an expanded safety plan has been in full effect.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 30:36-30:47
“Violent crime has gone down on the CTA.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 31:30-31:34
“I'm a part of the coalition of climate mayors.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 33:05-33:10
“We reinstituted [the Department of the Environment] with our commissioner Angela Tovar.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 33:46-33:51
“In this budget, one of the things that, you know, I said when I was running and what we were actually able to deliver in this budget is that…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 34:54-35:05
“There's an additional $7 million to essentially provide raises for childcare workers.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 35:06-35:12
“I do support [absolutely free childcare].”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 35:30-35:31
“We expect that, you know, the ground, the opening of this casino as early as by this time perhaps next year.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 38:06-38:16
“We have put forth some safety mechanisms in place to ensure that [the casino] entire footprint doesn't, you know, lose the type of support…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 38:17-38:30
“The city is working with Bally's to ensure that there are support mechanisms in place in the event, you know, some individuals or a family…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 38:54-39:10
“The SNAP curfew, which I was opposed to and still am, gave the sole authority to one particular individual to declare a curfew at moment's…”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 41:18-41:31
“The superintendent has never said that [Police Superintendent Snelling supports the curfew].”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 43:18-43:20
“He has never said that in any public forum. He's never said that.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 43:21-43:26
“I still believe that the lakefront is the best place for the Chicago Bears to be.”
Mayor Johnson talks about the immigration crackdown, city budget, public safety, and more | Uploaded January 13, 2026 | 47:12-47:17