RESOLUTION CONDEMNING THREATENED RAIDS ON IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. THE DETENTION AT O'HARE AIRPORT OF THREE U.S. CITIZENS WHO WERE MINORS.
AND ALL FEDERAL POLICIES THAT THREATEN THE WELL-BEING AND HEALTH OF LAW-ABIDING IMMIGRANT FAMILIES IN CHICAGO AND THROUGHOUT THIS NATION
WHEREAS, after the City of Chicago endured the threat of raids to arrest and displace undocumented families who reside here, it is incumbent on this august body to forcefully condemn the actions of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) and to reaffirm unwavering commitment to Chapter 2 Section 173 of the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago, commonly known as the Welcoming City Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, on Thursday July IS, 2019, three female children, ages 9, 10, and 13, all of whom are United States citizens by birthright, were detained at O'Hare International Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials shortly after their arrival from Mexico for the apparent purpose of luring their undocumented parents to the airport and arresting them for deportation. As they were minors, U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who happened to be on the scene, raised the question of whether this incident might be legally considered as kidnapping. Additionally, many experts note that children can suffer psychological harm when detained or separated from their families by such an extraordinary action. Although the Welcoming City Ordinance does not currently apply here, it certainly violates its spirit; and
WHEREAS, Maria Ines Zamudio is an award-winning investigative reporter for local public radio station WBEZ. Recently, she interviewed more than a dozen veterans who were deported and are now stranded in Mexico, India, and Kenya. They all came to the U.S. as children with their families as legal permanent residents. When they became adults, they joined the military with the promise of expedited citizenship which was never kept even though they all saw active duty. Once they w...
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