CONTACT:
Gwen Pepin
[email protected]
Chicago, IL – President Trump’s call for “the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History” is a dangerous escalation–and a direct attack on Illinois families. In a post on Truth Social late Sunday, Trump ordered ICE to ramp up detainments and deportations in cities like Chicago, which he falsely claimed are the “core of the Democrat Power Center” and full of “Illegal Aliens” who “cheat in Elections” and “rob good paying jobs.”
His announcement comes just days after federal agents began targeting Chicago in a series of immigration raids, and after tens of thousands of Illinoisans took to the streets in protest.
“Donald Trump is once again using the machinery of government to target immigrant families, destabilize cities like Chicago, and turn neighbors against each other,” said DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez. “Illinois will not be bullied into abandoning fundamental American values. We will defend immigrant families, safeguard the rule of law, and keep fighting for real, comprehensive reform—the one thing Trump has always stood in the way of.”
This isn’t about safety or law enforcement. It’s about using fear to destabilize cities like Chicago, divide our communities, and score political points.
Let’s be clear:
- Immigrants in Illinois are essential to our economy, making up critical parts of the workforce in health care, agriculture, transportation, and education. Mass raids don’t protect working people—they endanger them.
- Non-citizens cannot vote in federal elections. Trump’s claim that cities like Chicago are “cheating” is false and inflammatory.
- Chicago is not the “crime-ridden inner city” he describes—homicides and shootings are down sharply this year.
