A coalition of community organizations, activists, legal experts and Chicago City Council members held a press conference Jan. 13 at City Hall in to announce opposition to a proposed anti-sanctuary ordinance led by Alds. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) and Silvana Tabares (23rd) that would weaken Chicago’s Welcoming Cities Ordinance (WCO).
The current WCO sanctuary city law forbids the Chicago Police Department (CPD) from sharing information about undocumented immigrants with the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The WCO ensures that undocumented immigrants can, among other things, call 911 without fear of CPD officers reporting them to ICE.
Lopez and Tabares’ ordinance, 2023-0004222, would facilitate soon-to-be President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda and thereby force the CPD to work with ICE on immigration enforcement.
Over 200 people were in attendance to hear remarks by Urban Village Church Rev. Juan Pablo Herrera; Chicago Urban League Executive Director of IMPACT and Senior Vice President of Leadership Programming and Philanthropy Dr. Kafi Moragne-Patterson; KAN-WIN Executive Director and The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence member Jin Hye Kim; National Immigrant Justice Center Associate Director of Litigation and Attorney Mark Fleming; Organized Communities Against Deportation members Maria Celeste and Antonio Gutierrez; and Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Education Director and Field Secretary Frank Chapman.
Ahead of the remarks, Cook County Board Commissioner Anthony Quezada (8th District) led the crowd with chants that included “solidarity forever,” “defend, sanctuary” and “keep Chicago welcoming for all.”
Herrera said, “We are united in our commitment to uphold the dignity and humanity of every person in our city. We stand here today as stewards of justice and public safety, affirming that the Welcoming City Ordinance has been a cornerstone of trust and protection for all Chicagoans.”
He added that this proposed anti-sanctuary ordinance threatens the principles, unity and humanity that bind Chicagoans together, and then offered a prayer written specifically for the event.
Moragne-Patterson said, “African American and immigrant communities have long shared struggles against systemic oppression, discrimination and marginalization. Supporting sanctuary city policies reflects a commitment to collective liberation and solidarity, recognizing that injustice to one group ultimately affects all marginalized communities … We oppose the ordinance and ask that the city council not change Chicago’s status as a welcoming community.”
Kim’s remarks focused on how this anti-immigrant ordinance would negatively impact victims of domestic violence. She added that her organization supports immigrant survivors within Asian American communities.
“Domestic and gender-based violence is extremely pervasive in our city and survivors need every available resource to leave dangerous situations,” said Kim. “This proposal creates another barrier by fostering fear of immigration-related consequences for survivors, their loved ones and even abusive partners if they seek help. … We need solutions, resources and trust, not politicized proposals that do more harm than good.”
Fleming said, “I have been litigating issues around local police cooperation with civil immigration enforcement for close to 15 years now. This amendment to the Welcoming City Ordinance will reopen the city’s risk to serious financial liability because of the systemic violations of the 4th Amendment in ICE’s detainer practice … We urge city council today to not reopen this potential financial liability to the city.”
Celeste urged Chicagoans to contact their alderperson and tell them to vote no on the ordinance, adding that it “divides us and strikes fears in immigrants of being displaced from their homes and communities through deportation. Shame on you Alderman Lopez and Alderwoman Tabares—and any other council members who vote yes on this amendment.”
Gutierrez told the audience in Spanish how harmful this ordinance would be for the impacted communities that would be targeted.
Herrera also recognized the various elected officials in attendance who are opposed to this proposed anti-immigrant amendment to Chicago’s WCO. They included Chicago Deputy Mayor Beatriz Ponce de León; Illinois state Sen. Graciela Guzman; Illinois state Rep Lilian Jimenez; and Alds. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward), Julia Ramirez (12th), Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), Jeylu Gutierrez (14th), Ruth Cruz (30th), Andre Vasquez (40th), Mike Rodriguez (22nd) and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th).
Among the community organizations who oppose this ordinance are Arab American Family Services, Arise Chicago, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Chicago Abortion Fund, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Chicago Teachers Union, Citizen Action/Illinois, Equality Illinois, Equity and Transformation (EAT), Good Kids/Mad City, Indivisible Chicago Alliance, Indo-American Center, KAN-WIN, Kimball Avenue United Church of Christ, Mijente, Mujeres Latinas en Acción, Palenque LSNA, Planned Parenthood of Illinois Action, Raise the Floor Alliance, SEIU HCII, SEIU Local 1, The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, The Resurrection Project, The Southwest Collective, Unete, Unitarian Universalist Advocacy Network of Illinois, United African Organization and Warehouse Workers for Justice.
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