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Quote/Term of the Week
“There is no emergency and there is no urgent situation in Chicago or the surrounding area that justifies the surge of federal officers, forces or even the National Guard into this area. Any of the issues that actually exist in our community will only be made worse by these uninvited officers …”
— Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois, during his opening remarks at a City Council committee hearing.
[City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Sept. 12, 2025]
ICE in hot water
City Council members are trying to learn from the federal immigration operations in Los Angeles in order to prepare and protect the rights of people in Chicago.
The increased threat of deportations and abductions has only heightened as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents started their massive operation dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” which federal authorities say will target immigrants in the country without legal permission. Authorities launched a second immigration operation this week.
President Donald Trump, acting against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wishes, ordered National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles in June to support immigration enforcement and quell protests opposing heightened ICE activity. The rare move resulted in numerous lawsuits.
Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at ACLU of Illinois, spoke about how some of the litigation in Los Angeles could have implications for Chicago.
The escalation in military enforcement in Los Angeles primarily focused on Black and Brown communities, Yohnka said. Many raids primarily targeted public areas, which have in turn resulted in multiple lawsuits.
In one case, the State of California challenged whether it was legal for the Trump administration to send National Guard troops to Los Angeles. A federal judge recently sided with California officials, but stopped short of considering a request to order remaining soldiers to leave.
The Los Angeles Press Club and other groups also filed a lawsuit claiming Department of Homeland Security officers violated First Amendment protections when they attacked journalists, protesters and legal observers recording and documenting what federal authorities were doing. DHS officials claimed the protesters were violent.
“They can say that all they want, but it’s protected by the First Amendment,” Yohnka said.
Last week, a federal court in Los Angeles issued an injunction against DHS and affiliated agencies, barring federal officers from threatening or issuing dispersal orders to anyone exercising their First Amendment rights.
Yohnka also spoke about the Supreme Court ruling that lifted an injunction in Los Angeles preventing federal agents from stopping people based on their race, what language they speak or where they work. That case is still pending in federal courts.
As litigation continues, alders urged community members to educate and prepare themselves for the continued presence of federal agents and increased immigration enforcement.
The ACLU is paying attention to how federal officials carry out these operations and “will not hesitate to go ahead and file litigation that challenges that behavior” if similar issues occur in Chicago or elsewhere in the country, Yohnka said.
City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights by Jorge Iván Soto
What you can do:
City Bureau has a resource guide with details on what you need to know, how to connect with groups who can help and where to get more information amid ICE raids.
Leer en español: Cómo obtener ayuda — y ayudar a otros — en medio de las redadas de ICE en Chicago
Keep an out for Pilsen Unidos por Nuestro Orgullo’s (PUÑO) Migra Watch training to learn how to identify federal agents, document ICE activity, and support immigrants in our communities, pilsenunidos.org
Share with teams verifying ICE sightings
Call the Family Support Network Hotline, 855-435-7693 or 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY to report suspected ICE activity. ICIRR’s Rapid Response team regularly canvasses areas to check out what is going on and update community members. Groups such as the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and Pilsen Unidos por Nuestro Orgullo (PUÑO) are posting updates to social media and canvassing to keep neighbors informed.
A hotel for the South Side
Commissioners took the next step in greenlighting what would be the Far South Side’s first new hotel in four decades.
The vote allows the city’s Department of Planning and Development to negotiate a redevelopment agreement with Pullman Hotel Group LLC to redevelop property at 11030 S. Doty Ave. in Pullman.
The Pullman Hotel Group is planning to develop the first nationally branded hotel in the historic neighborhood. The 101-room hotel will include a business center, exercise room, indoor pool, and a market store or gift shop
The project is slated to cost $30.9 million funded by a mix of sources, including a $2.8 million TIF loan and multiple other city-funded grants.
It has received the stamp of approval from Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward) and other stakeholders. The project will most likely break ground in the fall and will take 15-18 months to complete.
Chicago Community Development Commission by Layla Brown-Clark and Natalie Frank
What you can do:
Catch up on the headlines & history of Pullman:
Pullman Historic District: Inside Chicago’s Only National Monument | WBEZ
Pullman and ideal communities in Chicago, the Rust Belt, and beyond | Belt Magazine
Loyalty or control? Why George Pullman built a company town where “labor helped capitalism” | WTTW
How Chicago’s historical Pullman neighborhood inspired ‘The Polar Express’ | Block Club Chicago
5 things to know about Pullman | Chicago Architecture Center
A version of this story was first published in the September 17, 2025 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.
Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Civic Editor Dawn Rhodes at dawn@citybureau.org.