July 25, 2020
Dear Mayor Lightfoot and Sheriff Dart,
We are writing to you to ask that the City of Chicago and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office cease cooperation with the federal agents being deployed by the Trump administration. Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated both his callous disregard for Black, indigenous, and immigrant lives, and his increasing inclination towards fascism and authoritarianism.
We grieve deeply the lives lost to gun violence in Chicago, including the terrible mass shooting on Monday night, the young children killed this summer, and the lives lost every day this year to less fanfare but no less tragedy--429 homicides total at the time of writing.
At the same time, we are clear that we cannot police ourselves out of this terrible situation. Chicago has more police officers per capita than any other major city in the US, but it has not made us the safest city in the US by any measure. Breaking the cycle of violence means that the city must invest in jobs, housing, schools, and healing, not prisons and police--and definitely not cooperation with a dangerous, racist, and repressive Presidential administration.
The ethnonationalist and fascist tendencies of the Trump administration have been well-documented, from his suggestion on Monday that he will not concede the election to encouraging violence against his political opponents, peddling conspiracy theories that fuel white nationalist terrorism, and cracking down on the freedom of the press. We DO NOT trust any promises that President Trump has made or will make about their deployment.
We ask that you immediately cease any existing or planned city police and county sheriff cooperation with the federal agents that President Trump has pledged to send to Chicago. This means:
Do not allow these federal agents (including DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Homeland Security, and FBI) to use city police or county sheriff property, staff, or other resources, including offices, parking lots, police stations, or the Cook County Jail.
Cease all information- and database-sharing with federal law enforcement agencies including DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Homeland Security, and FBI.
Do not allow federal agents to assume custody of anyone who is being held in custody of the Chicago Police Department or the Cook County Sheriff, including at Cook County Jail.
Expand existing sanctuary zones (schools, hospitals, places of worship) to include other city properties, including library and park buildings, where federal agents are not permitted to enter, detain, or interrogate civilians.
Signed,
Illinois Senate Majority Leader Senator Kim Lightford, Chair of the Joint Black Caucus
Illinois House Majority Leader Representative Greg Harris*
Illinois Senate Majority Caucus Chair Senator Mattie Hunter
Illinois Senate Deputy Majority Caucus Chair Senator Jacqueline Collins
Illinois Senate Majority Caucus Whip Senator Omar Aquino, Co-Chair of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus
Illinois Senator Ram Villivalam, Co-Chair of the Asian-American Caucus
Illinois Senator Emil Jones*
Illinois Senator Robert Peters
Illinois Senator Heather Steans
Illinois Senator Patricia Van Pelt
Illinois Senator Celina Villanueva
Illinois Representative Will Guzzardi, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus
Illinois Representative Theresa Mah, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus
Illinois Representative Kam Buckner
Illinois Representative Kelly Cassidy
Illinois Representative Lakesia Collins
Illinois Representative Sonya Harper
Illinois Representative Delia Ramirez
Illinois Representative Lamont Robinson
Illinois Representative Nick Smith
Illinois Representative Curtis Tarver
Illinois Representative Emanuel “Chris” Welch*
Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya
Cook County Commissioner Dennis Deer
Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnen*
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson
Ald. Maria Hadden
Ald. Daniel La Spata
Ald. Roberto Maldonado*
Ald. Matt Martin
Ald. Carlos Ramirez Rosa
Ald. Michael Rodriguez
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez
Ald. Jeanette Taylor
Ald. Andre Vasquez
Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender*
33rd Ward Working Families
40th United Independent Political Organization*
Action Center on Race and the Economy
Black Lives Matter Chicago
Black Roots Alliance
Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
Chicago Community Bond Fund
Chicago Teachers Union
Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600
El Foro Del Pueblo
Equity and Transformation (EAT)
Grassroots Collaborative
Healthy Illinois
Jane Addams Senior Caucus
Lift the Ban
National Lawyers Guild Chicago
Northside Action for Justice
Organized Communities Against Deportations
The People’s Lobby
Resist. Reimagine. Rebuild. Chicago Coalition
Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation
Trinity United Church of Christ
UE Western Region
United Working Families
United Nations Association of Chicago
*indicates name added after initial release of the letter on July 25, 2020
