Chicago Police Will Not Assist in Migrant Deportations, Remains Sanctuary City

Chicago: The city council just made a big move to protect migrants. They voted against a proposal that would have let the Chicago Police Department work with federal immigration agents. This happened right before Trump took office, and it was a clear message that Chicago wants to stay a sanctuary city.

The vote was pretty one-sided, with 39 against and only 11 in favor. Council member Jessie Fuentes pushed to block the proposal, saying it shows that most council members are committed to protecting immigrant communities. She emphasized that they won’t even entertain changes to the sanctuary status.

Raymond López, who sponsored the proposal, said he’ll keep trying to change some protections for undocumented migrants. But he didn’t share any specifics on how he plans to do that. He just wants critics to come talk to him directly.

The proposal aimed to let police collaborate with federal agents when someone was arrested for drug-related crimes, gang activities, prostitution, or sexual offenses involving minors. But the police department was against it, partly because it was unclear how they would define those categories.

A lot of immigration advocates showed up at the council meeting to voice their support for the sanctuary protections. One young woman shared her family’s story, highlighting how migrants often leave their homes due to danger. She argued that taking away their safety in the U.S. is a huge mistake.

There were also some anti-immigrant supporters present, shouting slogans against migrants while the pro-immigrant crowd spoke. But the advocates for migrant rights were relieved that the sanctuary ordinance remains unchanged. They urged the council to keep defending it, especially with Trump’s administration coming in.

The Chicago Sanctuary Ordinance prevents the police from coordinating with federal immigration authorities and limits their ability to ask about someone’s citizenship status. They can’t arrest someone just based on the belief that they might be undocumented.

Illinois has a similar law, the TRUST Act, which also restricts local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The proposed changes could conflict with this state law, which has raised concerns among legal experts.

The way ICE usually requests local help is through a detainer order, which asks local police to hold someone for an extra 48 hours after their release. Some cities have faced hefty costs for complying with these requests, like New York City, which was recently ordered to pay $92.5 million for illegal detentions.

López mentioned that he sees compliance with ICE detainer orders as the main way the police would work with immigration officials under his proposal. He claimed he wasn’t aware of any lawsuits like New York’s when he introduced the ordinance.

This push from López and Tabares comes as federal lawmakers are also trying to tighten immigration enforcement ahead of Trump’s inauguration. They’re working on a bill that would target undocumented individuals accused of crimes like shoplifting.

This situation is part of a larger conversation about how Chicago has handled the influx of migrants in recent years. It’s clear that the city is standing firm on its commitment to protect its immigrant community.