CHICAGO — Chicago officials and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker vow to protect immigrant communities amid President Donald Trump’s looming promise of mass deportations.
Trump’s executive orders concerning immigration would allow arrests to be made in “sensitive locations” like churches and schools, which for more than a decade have been off-limits.
The president’s deportation pledge has been criticized by many in blue-state Illinois, but some Republican state legislators say there needs to be more cooperation when it comes to deporting violent criminals.
DNC highlights Chicago’s illegal immigration problem
Republicans in Springfield are calling on Pritzker to repeal the Trust Act, which bars Illinois law enforcement from engaging in federal immigration enforcement, but Beatriz Ponce De León, Chicago’s deputy mayor of immigrant, migrant and refugee rights, said the city won’t bend when it comes to protecting its hardworking immigrant communities.
Ponce De León put out an information blitz Tuesday on resources people can use. City officials are also running table-top exercises to prepare for what could come.
“Our Corporation Counsel provided guidance to departments,” Ponce De León said. “Our deputy mayor of community safety has also been working closely with the Chicago Police Department.”
Ponce De León also says the Cook County Public Defender’s Office has an immigration division that provides legal support. Additionally, Chicago Public Schools has been informing principals that ICE agents are not allowed in schools unless they have a signed federal warrant, while the Chicago Transit Authority issued directives to workers stating they don’t have the authority to provide consent for a search.
Chicago’s immigrant community and supporters are continuing to speak out, fearful that families could soon be ripped apart. The growing concern was evident Tuesday during a protest in Little Village.
“Our community is clearly being attacked by this administration,” one protestor said. “The immigrant community has provided so much for this country, and yet we are being attacked.”
Meantime, some state legislators in Springfield are calling for more cooperation between the federal government and local police to protect communities from crime.
“Public safety is not a partisan issue, and Democrats must work to cooperate with federal efforts to remove people who are not here legally and have criminal records,” Rep. Dan Ugaste, R-Geneva, said.
When will Trump’s mass deportations begin?
Pritzker said it’s been a long-standing U.S. policy to deport undocumented immigrants who commit violent crimes, but he added that deporting law-abiding immigrants who work, pay taxes and raise families causes more harm than good.
According to Pritzker, there has been no communication with ICE officials on timing for any potential Chicago raids. He said there’s been talk about the federal government targeting about 2,000 undocumented individuals in Chicago alone.
