As the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s showed, it helps to have a rallying cry when faced with a daunting struggle.
Those throughout the Chicago area either impacted by or actively fighting against the immigration enforcement actions of the Trump administration heard such a rallying cry from their elected leaders Oct. 30 after the Department of Justice indicted 6 people for their protests at the ICE detention facility in Broadview. Among those indicted was Oak Park Village Trustee Brian Straw.
The open letter from Gov. JB Pritzker and others came as a bill (HB1312) protecting illegal immigrants from ICE actions in certain places, like courthouses and hospitals, is headed to Pritzker’s desk to be signed into law.
“We refuse to be silent,” Pritzker and others said loudly and clearly in their letter. Pritzker was joined by Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board president Toni Preckwinkle atop a list of 130 elected officials in northern Illinois who spoke out in detail against the federal effort.
Other signatories were U.S. Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4), Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, 27th Ward Alderman Walter Redmond Burnett, 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin and 1st District Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps, along with members of the Illinois Congressional delegation, the Cook County board, the Chicago City Council and more than a hundred county, municipal and township office holders.
All signaled their solidarity with the six protesters who were indicted for stopping a US Customs and Immigration Enforcement vehicle during a protest in Broadview the morning of Sept. 26.
Straw, one of multiple public officials among the so-called “Broadview Six,” has called the charges “baseless” and vowed to “continue to stand with and protect our immigrant neighbors.”
“The politicization of our justice system crosses a fundamental line that should alarm anyone who cares about democracy and the rule of law,” the letter states. “This is not what democracy looks like, and we cannot accept it as normal.”
“Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, County Board candidate Cat Sharp, Committeeperson Michael Rabbitt, Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw, Joselyn Walsh, and Andre Martin now face prosecution for simply exercising their First Amendment rights,” the letter states.
The DOJ action, the signatories said, “follows a disturbing national pattern, from the indictment of Rep. LaMonica McIver in New Jersey to the charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, and dozens of others who have challenged the Trump administration.” Federal prosecutors, they say, “are being weaponized to punish political opponents and silence dissent.”
“The politicization of our justice system crosses a fundamental line that should alarm anyone who cares about democracy and the rule of law. This is not what democracy looks like, and we cannot accept it as normal,” Pritzker and the other signatories said.
“Federal agents have grabbed residents off the streets without warrant or explanation, including U.S. citizens. They fatally shot an unarmed civilian during a traffic stop. They have caused multiple high-speed collisions in residential neighborhoods. They have pepper-sprayed innocent bystanders and peaceful protesters across Cook County and outside the Broadview ICE facility, including faith leaders and candidates for office.”
“Masked ICE agents have transformed everyday life for thousands of our constituents,” the elected leaders wrote. “Parents won’t send their kids to school, workers are choosing to stay home, and families are skipping doctors’ appointments for fear of being picked up off the street.
“We refuse to be silent,” the letter signatories said. “And we will continue standing with every resident who speaks out against what this administration is doing to our communities.”