Why We're Mobilizing

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1. In 2021, City Council passed the Welcoming City Ordinance (WCO) which prevents local enforcement officers from asking for a person’s immigration status, detaining someone because of their immigration status or cooperating with federal immigration agents in certain instances.
2. In September of 2023 16 alders led by Ald. Ray Lopez introduced an ordinance, O2023-0004222, which amends the WCO by seeking to allow City agents or agencies to work with federal immigration officers regarding individuals arrested for or convicted of criminal activities

1. Two committees were called for the referral of this ordinance, the Committee on Public Safety and the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, so the matter was Referred to the Committee on Committees and Rules (Pursuant to Council Rule 42)

3. On January 7, 2024 Ald. Lopez and Ald. Tabares filed a notice (Pursuant to Council Rule 41) which is possible via Chicago City Council Rules of Order which allows the ordinance to come before full city council on January 15th for a vote, since there was no action on the ordinance in the Committee of Rules where it was referred
4. The reasons this ordinance should be rejected are because these amendments:

1. Lead to reduced trust of vulnerable communities in utilizing city services they are entitled to, as well as reduced reporting of harmful incidents, including domestic violence, by the community in fear of ICE involvement. Everyone who is in need should be able to call 911/311.
2. Require any city department or office, including Chicago Police Department (CPD), to engage in warrantless conduct - no one should be arrested without a legal warrant as right to due process is a deeply held value by Chicagoans.
3. Open up the City to liability, which would result in city funds being spent on legal challenges and settlements. This has happened in NewYork City and Los Angeles– Chicago can learn and avoid wasting money.
4. Are an unfunded mandate for law enforcement when their resources should be focused on increasing safety of residents within the scope of the law. CPD itself has released a memo that opposes this ordinance!

5. See news coverage here!

1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/01/09/2-alds-want-to-change-sanctuary-city-rules-allowing-cops-to-work-with-ice-ahead-of-trump-term/ 
2. https://news.wttw.com/2025/01/09/chicago-city-council-consider-scaling-back-protections-undocumented-immigrants-trump 
3. https://www.wbez.org/2025/01/10/immigration-advocates-warn-a-proposal-for-chicago-police-to-help-ice-could-be-illegal 

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EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT! As you may have heard, some Alders are renewing their effort to amend Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance to allow the City to assist ICE with detainment WITHOUT DUE PROCESS, violating federal and state law, potentially putting residents on the hook to foot the bill of any lawsuits. This ordinance will be voted on by the full City Council on Wednesday, January 15th at 10am at City Hall (121 N LaSalle St), 2nd Floor, Council Chambers. Tell your elected Alders that immigrants are welcome here and to VOTE NO on O2023-0004222.

Action Items:

1. Meet with, e-mail and/or call your Alderperson to request they vote NO on the ordinance by Jan 15th
2. Join our press conference on Jan 13th at 11am on the ground floor of City Hall to show solidarity
3. Provide public comment at City Hall on Jan 15th: The first 30 minutes of every City Council Meeting is dedicated to public comment.

• In-person: 

• Be at the ground floor of City Hall between 8-9am to best position yourself for seating in City Council chambers on the 2nd floor
• Security guards will instruct you on where to stand to submit your name for public comment.
• Each speaker's time is limited to 3 minutes.

• Virtual:

• Requests to comment will be accepted from 12:01 AM the Monday before the scheduled meeting until 8:00 AM on the day before the scheduled meeting. Call (312) 744-6800 and leave a message with your name and telephone number.
• Between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM on the day before the scheduled meeting, the Sergeant-at-Arms will contact each selected participant at the telephone number provided, and give them instructions to access the meeting, including a telephone number and passcode. The Sergeant-at-Arms will only make one attempt to call the selected participant; if there is no live response, the selection is forfeited, and the Sergeant-at-Arms will move on to the next participant.
• At 10:00 AM on the day of the meeting, selected participants must call into the meeting from the telephone number they originally provided to the City and wait to be called upon to speak.

• Written:

• Email your written comments, not to exceed a maximum of two pages to public_comments@cityofchicago.org.
• Written comments will be accepted from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM on the day of the scheduled meeting

• If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can watch it virtually via the City Clerk's website.

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Sample E-mail to Alders

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Subject: VOTE NO on Ordinance 2023-0004222 on Jan 15th

Body:

Dear Alder [],

Incoming President Donald Trump plans to unleash a spectacle on the streets of Chicago. He’s pledged that our city will be ground zero for mass deportations. Alderpeople Lopez and Tabares have introduced an ordinance, 2023-0004222, that will further President Trump’s agenda by amending Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance to allow the Chicago Police Department to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and engage in immigration enforcement.

If enacted, Ordinance 2023-0004222 will harm all Chicagoans, divert the City’s precious public safety resources, increase the likelihood of domestic homicide, and expose the City to significant legal liability, wasting taxpayer dollars.

• Cities – like Chicago – which prohibit local law enforcement from engaging in immigration enforcement, have lower crime rates compared to cities where local police have immigration-related responsibilities. “There are, on average, 35.5 fewer crimes committed per 10,000 people in (sanctuary) counties compared to counties that do honor ICE detainers.”^[1] “Sanctuary policies do not cause an increase in crime. Instead, sanctuary policies lead to a decrease in the property crime rate.”^[2] No studies have demonstrated a link between sanctuary policies and increased crime.”^[3]

• Sanctuary City policies that prohibit local law enforcement from engaging in immigration enforcement “significantly reduce the most extreme form of domestic violence: domestic homicide. . . introducing sanctuary policies within a county lowers the domestic homicide rate for Latina women by an astonishing 62%.”^[4]

• The International Association of Chiefs of Police cautions against permitting local law enforcement to assume responsibility for immigration enforcement: “[L]ocal law enforcement should not be involved in the enforcement of civil immigration laws since such involvement would likely have a chilling effect on both [citizens and non-citizens] reporting criminal activity or assisting police in criminal investigations. . . [T]his lack of cooperation could diminish the ability of law enforcement agencies to effectively police their communities and protect the public they serve.”^[5]

• CPD working with ICE will lead to Fourth Amendment violations. For over a decade, ICE has known that its practice of issuing immigration detainers to local police, requesting that they detain the individual in their custody for up to an additional 48 hours after the local detention authority has expired so that ICE can pick the person up, present serious Fourth Amendment violations.^[6]  ICE detainer arrest requests to local police are the only form of arrest in the United States that does not provide for prompt neutral review by a judicial official.^[7] A recent Ninth Circuit decision in a nationwide class action of individuals subject to detainers agreed that ICE’s lack of neutral review of its detainer requests violates the Fourth Amendment.^[8] 

• CPD working with ICE will expose the City to significant legal and financial liability. ICE’s lack of Fourth Amendment protections has continued to result in massive financial liability to local municipalities who choose to work with ICE and honor ICE detainers. In December 2024, New York City announced that it was settling a longstanding ICE detainer class action for $92.5 million.^[9] In 2022, Los Angeles County agreed to settle a detainer class action in the amount of $14 million. ^[10] And just last week, Suffolk County in New York was found to have violated both their state constitution and the Fourth Amendment in yet another ICE detainer class action.^[11]

Chicago’s current Welcoming City Ordinance (WCO) is an essential public safety ordinance that is working to keep all Chicagoans safe. By prohibiting local law enforcement from engaging in immigration enforcement, Chicago’s WCO has proven to be effective in ensuring that no city resident or victim of crime is afraid to call 9-1-1. As a result, studies demonstrate Chicago’s WCO reduces crime and helps protect victims of domestic violence. Alderpeople Raymond Lopez’ and Silvana Tabares’ proposed amendment to the WCO, Ordinance 2023-0004222, would jeopardize this success, leading to fewer city residents reporting crime or assisting police and likely increasing crime and the likelihood of domestic homicide in Chicago.

As currently codified, Chicago’s WCO is protecting Chicago from significant legal and financial liability. Localities that have worked with ICE have wasted taxpayer dollars as a result of class action suits for Fourth Amendment violations. If enacted, Ordinance 2023-0004222 would expose the City to significant legal and financial liability, likely costing the city tens of millions of dollars in settlement costs.

The Chicago City Council, as the governing body responsible for making decisions that affect the safety and well-being of all Chicagoans, should reject Ordinance 2023-0004222 and maintain Chicago’s existing Welcoming City Ordinance.

Yours,

[Name]

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Sample Phone Script for Alders

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Hi, thank you for taking my call. My name is [] and I am a constituent of the [] Ward and I am calling to make sure that Ald [] will be voting no on the anti-immigrant and anti-due process amendments (O2023-0004222) to the Welcoming City Ordinance which will be coming up on Jan 15th as a Rule 41 vote called by Alds Lopez and Tabares.  

If yes: Thank you for committing to keep Chicago a welcoming city for ALL and to make sure that our constitutional due process rights are held strongly in Chicago!

If no: Can you let me know why Ald. [] wants to remove due process requirements and shift public safety resources towards this ordinance that is in conflict with state law since we know that legal challenges will cost Chicagoans a lot of money in legal fees and potential settlements?

If unsure or doesn’t commit to a yes or no: As a constituent, I am looking to understand why my elected official will make the vote that will cost me more money and reduce the safety and quality of life of my community, many of whom are immigrants. I’d like to receive a response back prior to the vote on Jan 15th with the reasoning and have a chance to speak with Ald [] or policy director to explain why this would be a bad vote, especially as Pres. Trump comes into office.

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