Send the mayor to jail
Yes, and any that wish to follow.
The Chicago City Council blocked a proposal to allow Chicago police to aid in federal immigration enforcement.
The proposal would have allowed Chicago police to “work with federal immigration officers or agencies” when someone is arrested or convicted for “drug-related activities,” “gang-related activities,” “prostitution-related activities,” or a “sex crime involving a minor.” In a decisive 39-11 vote, council members stopped two city aldermans’ proposed ordinance from coming up for a vote Wednesday, effectively voting down the proposal.
“It was very clear today: Thirty-nine alderpeople aren’t even going to entertain the conversation. We believe that we should remain a sanctuary city. We believe that the welcoming city ordinance is doing its job,” Ald. Jessie Fuentes said. “So they can attempt, but they’ll get 39 votes every single time.”
The Chicago Police Department additionally opposed the proposal, calling it a “violation of state law” as it was unclear how it would define those broader categories and decide which crimes fall under what.
Ald. Raymond Lopez, the proposal’s main sponsor, said he would continue to work to repeal certain protections for undocumented immigrants in Chicago but did not provide specifics on what he would change about his failed proposal, according to WBEZ Chicago.
“We heard a lot of talk today about there should be changes, but simply stating that and then walking away from the conversation isn’t how you move legislation,” Lopez said. “Our doors have always been open, our phones have never turned off, and our emails continue to work.”
The city’s vote comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to execute the largest deportation in U.S. history, is sworn into office again.
Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance prohibits the city’s police department from working and coordinating with federal immigration enforcement.
CPD cannot “arrest, detain or continue to detain a person solely on the belief that the person is not present legally in the United States, or that the person has committed a civil immigration violation,” even if Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests so. Police in Chicago are also largely banned from asking someone about their immigration status.
The state-level Illinois TRUST Act additionally largely prohibits that same type of coordination with federal agents across the state, hence CPD’s opposition to Lopez’s proposal.
ICE agents can, however, request help from local municipalities through a so-called ICE detainer, which is a document asking local police to hold someone in custody for 48 hours past their expected release to give an immigration enforcement officer time to arrive.
Lopez confirmed to WBEZ Chicago that he expects CPD to honor an ICE detainer, which is the main way he sees it cooperating with immigration enforcement officers under his proposal.