Every person, regardless of their immigration status, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Every child deserves to live without the fear that their home will be raided in the middle of the night. Without the fear that their parents will be taken from them during school drop-off. Every person, whether a citizen or non-citizen, has the right to due process in the United States.
And yet, over the past several weeks, we have seen a rapid escalation of these rights and dignities being violated as ICE has increased its presence in the city of Chicago. Their recent activity in Chicago has brought intimidation, harassment, and the violent detainment of hundreds of residents. Those residents are our neighbors, our small business leaders, our community organizers, our students and teachers.
The federal government has stated that these agents and the National Guardsmen that arrived this week are targeting criminal behavior, but even in the pursuit of addressing illegal activity, the safety and stability of the city should be prioritized. Detaining children and separating them from their parents is not keeping Chicagoans safe. Shooting pepper balls at protesters exercising their First Amendment rights is not keeping Chicagoans safe. We should be able to count on the federal government to support states and municipalities in their endeavor to serve and improve their communities. It is alarming to see that the opposite is happening.
We are shaken and deeply saddened by the current environment, but we are also firm in our mission. All students deserve access to a high-quality education. All students deserve to feel safe both in and out of school. In the face of adversity, the work to create a better future for all Illinois students does not stop – it grows. We stand for every child in Illinois and with every advocate working towards a more just future for us all.
