This century, America’s commitment to justice and individual rights has been tested by two crises involving two distinct immigrant groups. I am from one of those immigrant groups, and one of my colleagues on the Oak Park Township Board is from the other group.
Son of Mexican immigrants
In April of 2025, my colleague, Juan Muñoz, was elected to the Township board for the first time. Six months later, he became the first Chicago-area elected official to be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The detention occurred while he was exercising his right to protest at ICE’s detention facility.
Juan, a U.S. citizen, was in the protest zone and did not break any laws. He was nonetheless pulled to the ground by ICE agents; a knee to his back kept him down while his hands were zip-tied. After seven hours in custody, he was released without any charges.
Sadly, the disturbing aspects of the detention — the use of excessive force, the disregard of constitutional rights, and the mistreatment of an innocent person — are not limited to Juan. These tactics have been used repeatedly during President Trump’s “Midway Blitz.”
Son of a Muslim immigrant
In April of 2001, I was elected to the Township board for the first time. Five months later, the U.S. was attacked by terrorists from Arab countries who claimed to be Muslims. September 11 was a painful, horrifying day for Americans everywhere, as we saw thousands of people die on live TV when the Twin Towers fell.
My pain intensified when a post-9/11 backlash against Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. began to develop. It was upsetting to know that some might link me to the terrorists not because of anything I had done, but merely because my name was similar to the terrorists’ names.
As an elected official with an Arab name, I, like Juan, felt an obligation to do something to address fears and misconceptions about Middle Eastern immigrants. My task was easier than Juan’s, however, because a different president was in office in 2001.
The 2025 Crisis
During his campaign, President Trump said he would close the border to stop the “invasion” of illegal immigrants and that he would deport the “murderers, drug dealers, terrorists, and criminals” who are coming “to a town near you.” If voters ignored Trump’s typically bombastic style, they might reasonably have concluded that Trump only planned to deport dangerous criminals in an effort to improve public safety.
But the Midway Blitz is also deporting undocumented Latinos who aren’t dangerous: landscapers, roofers, cooks, farm workers, and many others. Deporting hard-working people who perform important services does not improve public safety.
In fact, such deportations are harming citizens and undocumented people in Latino neighborhoods. Due to the military-style raids in these neighborhoods, many Latino adults are afraid to go out to shop or work, many Latino students are afraid to go to school, and many businesses that rely on immigrant labor are unable to find help.
The Blitz’s greatest harm, however, involves the forced separation of families. In many Latino families, at least one parent is undocumented, but the kids are citizens. Even if a parent’s only offense is unlawful entry to the U.S., that parent could face deportation.
But separating parent from child would not only punish the parent, it would traumatize the entire family, especially the kids. Under the Blitz, more young U.S. citizens are suffering what could be life-altering traumas due to deportation. These kids deserve better.
The 2001 Crisis
A president’s tone has great influence on the national mood. President Trump’s angry, militaristic tones on immigration have been reflected in the harsh treatment of immigrants and protesters on American streets. In 2001, however, a different president showed that public safety can be achieved with a conciliatory, respectful tone.
Six days after 9/11, President George W. Bush delivered a speech that sought to calm the anger and violence directed at innocent Arabs and Muslims. He explained that Muslims were as appalled by the terrorist attacks as everyone else. He noted that “Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country.” And Muslims, he added, “need to be treated with respect.”
Although I did not vote for President Bush, I greatly admire his speech. At the time he delivered it, I was unsure if there was still a place for me in the United States, the only country I had ever known. I needed reassurance. But I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I found myself crying while listening to the President’s speech.
Conclusion
I suspect that immigrants from Latin American countries and elsewhere are now feeling what I felt in 2001 — the pain of being treated as “dangerous criminals” when they are not, coupled with uncertainty about their place in America. It is difficult to imagine that our current president would provide immigrants the reassurance that President Bush gave me.
But that just means that others have to step up by helping an immigrant, joining a protest, or providing support in other ways. However it is done, we should always be sure to note that our brothers and sisters in immigrant communities have made incredibly valuable contributions to our country.
And we need to treat them with respect.
Ali ElSaffar is the longtime Oak Park Township Assessor.