Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Chicago will not be bullied in response to President Donald Trump’s planned crackdown on illegal immigration. The New York Times first reported the president ordered elite units of border patrol agents to assist Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in nine sanctuary cities across the country, including Chicago. These agents are more commonly used in drug raids and dangerous customs work along the southern U.S. border, but will be in Chicago and elsewhere from now until May.
In response to the news, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a statement and posted a video on social media calling Trump a “bully.”
“We will not be bullied. Period. Especially by a bully like President Trump,” she said.
The city, Lightfoot pledged, would do everything in its power to protect residents who are in the country illegally.
“To all of our neighbors and friends, I want you to know that Chicago stands with you and will always fight to keep you safe,” she said.
The American Civil Liberties Union also responded to the news. Naureen Shah, senior policy and advocacy counsel on immigrants’ rights for American Civil Liberties Union, called the additional agents a “transparent retaliation against local governments for refusing to do the administration’s bidding.”
“It will put lives at risk by further militarizing our streets,” she said. “Local governments should not face reprisals for focusing on local community needs and using taxpayer money responsibly, instead of helping to deport and detain community members.”
A number of builders associations said Trump’s recent crackdown on immigration has created a shortage of workers requiring them to stall projects or offer higher wages to attract more workers.
Illinois enacted a law last year that made it illegal for any law enforcement officer to cooperate with federal authorities without a signed warrant.
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