A Chicago Democrat says the left is targeting him for proposing a moderate amendment to the city’s strict sanctuary policy forbidding cooperation between police and federal immigration authorities.
Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez says he is taking heat from the more liberal wing of his party for not demonizing President-elect Donald Trump for political gain and trying to find solutions to immigration enforcement that, he argues, better protects the city’s immigrant community. His comments come after his attempt to amend Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance fell flat with fellow lawmakers.
“The left is coming after folks like myself who are trying to find a middle ground,” Lopez stated to NBC News. “Because I’m not trying to make Donald Trump the enemy for the next four years to win my re-election.”
“I’m trying to protect people in the community,” he continued.
Under Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, local authorities are not permitted to assist or cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Previously, exceptions were made for migrants who had an outstanding criminal warrant, were in the city’s gang database or had been convicted of a felony or carried a pending felony charge, but even those exceptions were nixed in January 2021 under then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Lopez’s amendment would’ve brought those exceptions back into place, allowing for ICE cooperation when migrants are involved in serious crime. However, the Chicago City Council on Wednesday resoundingly voted against considering the measure by a tally of 38 to 11.
Lopez said critics of his amendment are “lying to the public for their own agenda” and he is taking flak from Democrats for meeting with incoming border czar Tom Homan. The Chicago alderman argues that the city would be better served if they enable deportation officers to focus on criminals instead of the immigrant community at large.
“I think that we are on the same page: that if he has the opportunity just to focus on the criminals, that is more than enough to keep him busy for the next four years,” Lopez said of Homan, according to NBC News.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has remained a stalwart defender of the city’s sanctuary status, having vowed to fight Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda shortly after he was re-elected to the White House. In addition to Chicago’s local policies, Illinois state law also restricts cooperation between ICE and law enforcement.
Chicago officials have welcomed in around 43,000 asylum seekers since August 2022 and have so far spent roughly $150 million to house and accommodate them, amid the border crisis that began under the outgoing Biden-Harris administration. Many of the migrants hail from Venezuela and have largely been bussed into the city by GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as he has sought to relieve his own state government.
The incoming Trump administration was reportedly going to conduct a large-scale deportation raid in Chicago as early as Tuesday, involving as many as 200 agents. However, Homan later hinted that the raid may be postponed after its plans were leaked to the media.
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