More than 100 Illinois officials have signed onto a letter posted Oct. 30 condemning the Oct. 29 indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice of six Illinoisans related to protest activity outside of the Broadview ICE processing facility on Sept. 26.
“The politicization of our justice system crosses a fundamental line that should alarm anyone who cares about democracy and the rule of law,” the letter states. “This is not what democracy looks like, and we cannot accept it as normal.”
In addition to Gov. JB Pritzker and officials from various levels of government, leaders representing Homewood, Flossmoor and the South Suburbs signed the letter, including U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, Cook County 5th District Commissioner Kisha McCaskill and Cook County 6th District Commissioner Donna Miller.
Open letter from Illinois officials condemning federal charges against the Broadview Six
We, the undersigned, write to condemn the Trump administration’s decision to file federal charges against a group of six people, including candidates, local officials, and activists, for protesting at the Broadview ICE facility.
Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, County Board candidate Cat Sharp, Committeeperson Michael Rabbitt, Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw, Joselyn Walsh, and Andre Martin now face prosecution for simply exercising their First Amendment rights.
This follows a disturbing national pattern, from the indictment of Rep. LaMonica McIver in New Jersey to the charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, and dozens of others who have challenged the Trump administration. Federal prosecutors are being weaponized to punish political opponents and silence dissent.
The politicization of our justice system crosses a fundamental line that should alarm anyone who cares about democracy and the rule of law. This is not what democracy looks like, and we cannot accept it as normal.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to protest, and the people of Illinois have every reason to do so. For months, masked ICE agents have terrorized the city of Chicago and surrounding communities.
Federal agents have grabbed residents off the streets without warrant or explanation, including U.S. citizens. They fatally shot an unarmed civilian during a traffic stop. They have caused multiple high-speed collisions in residential neighborhoods. They have pepper-sprayed innocent bystanders and peaceful protesters across Cook County and outside the Broadview ICE facility, including faith leaders and candidates for office.
Just this week, a federal judge cited U.S. Customs and Border Protection for tear-gassing trick-or-treaters and demanded CBP Commander Gregory Bovino appear in court after federal agents repeatedly violated orders limiting use of force.
Masked ICE agents have transformed everyday life for thousands of our constituents. Parents won’t send their kids to school, workers are choosing to stay home, and families are skipping doctors’ appointments for fear of being picked up off the street. Nothing about this makes our communities safer.
These charges are meant to scare all of us into staying quiet because the Trump administration knows that they cannot justify their violent attacks on our communities.
We refuse to be silent.
We stand with Kat Abughazaleh, Andre Martin, Michael Rabbitt, Cat Sharp, Brian Straw, and Joselyn Walsh, and we will continue standing with every resident who speaks out against what this administration is doing to our communities.
Sincerely,
JB Pritzker
Illinois Governor
Juliana Stratton
Illinois Lieutenant Governor
Robin Kelly
U.S. Representative, 2nd District
Delia Ramirez
U.S. Representative, 3rd District
Jesús “Chuy” García
U.S. Representative, 4th District
Mike Quigley
U.S. Representative, 5th District
Sean Casten
U.S. Representative, 6th District
Jan Schakowsky
U.S. Representative, 9th District
Emanuel “Chris” Welch
Speaker of the Illinois House
Toni Preckwinkle
Cook County Board President
Brandon Johnson
Mayor of Chicago
Fritz Kaegi
Cook County Assessor
Anna Valencia
City Clerk of Chicago
Melissa Conyears-Ervin
City Treasurer of Chicago
Lakesia Collins
State Senator, 5th District
Mike Simmons
State Senator, 7th District
Laura Fine
State Senator, 9th District
Robert Martwick
State Senator, 10th District
Celina Villanueva
State Senator, 12th District
Robert Peters
State Senator, 13th District
Graciela Guzman
State Senator, 20th District
Karina Villa
State Senator, 25th District
Mark Walker
State Senator, 27th District
Adriane Johnson
State Senator, 30th District
Mary Edly-Allen
State Senator, 31st District
Rachel Ventura
State Senator, 43rd District
Aaron Ortiz
State Representative, 1st District
Hoan Huynh
State Representative, 13th District
Kelly Cassidy
State Representative, 14th District
Kevin Olickal
State Representative, 16th District
Lindsey LaPointe
State Representative, 19th District
Abdelnasser Rashid
State Representative, 21st District
Theresa Mah
State Representative, 24th District
Justin Slaughter
State Representative, 27th District
Lisa Davis
State Representative, 32nd District
Will Guzzardi
State Representative, 39th District
Jaime Andrade Jr.
State Representative, 40th District
Barbara Hernandez
State Representative, 50th District
Nicolle Grasse
State Representative, 53rd District
Mary Beth Canty
State Representative, 54th District
Bob Morgan
State Representative, 58th District
Laura Faver Dias
State Representative, 62nd District
Maurice West II
State Representative, 67th District
Norma Hernandez
State Representative, 77th District
Stephanie Kifowit
State Representative, 84th District
Sharone Mitchell
Cook County Public Defender
Daniel LaSpata
Alderperson, 1st Ward
Lamont Robinson
Alderperson, 4th Ward
Desmon Yancy
Alderperson, 5th Ward
William Hall
Alderperson, 6th Ward
Julia Ramirez
Alderperson, 12th Ward
Jeylu Gutierrez
Alderperson, 14th Ward
Jeanette Taylor
Alderperson, 20th Ward
Michael D. Rodriguez
Alderperson, 22nd Ward
Byron Sigcho-Lopez
Alderperson, 25th Ward
Jessie Fuentes
Alderperson, 26th Ward
Walter Redmond Burnett
Alderperson, 27th Ward
Jason Ervin
Alderperson, 28th Ward
Ruth Cruz
Alderperson, 30th Ward
Felix Cardona Jr.
Alderperson, 31st Ward
Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez
Alderperson, 33rd Ward
Anthony Quezada
Alderperson, 35th Ward
Gil Villegas
Alderperson, 36th Ward
Andre Vasquez
Alderperson, 40th Ward
Brendan Reilly
Alderperson, 42nd Ward
Timmy Knudsen
Alderperson, 43rd Ward
Bennett Lawson
Alderperson, 44th Ward
Angela Clay
Alderperson, 46th Ward
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth
Alderperson, 48th Ward
Maria Hadden
Alderperson, 49th Ward
Tara Stamps
Cook County Commissioner, 1st District
Bill Lowry
Cook County Commissioner, 3rd District
Kisha McCaskill
Cook County Commissioner, 5th District
Alma Anaya
Cook County Commissioner, 7th District
Donna Miller
Cook County Commissioner, 6th District
Jessica Vasquez
Cook County Commissioner, 8th District
Maggie Trevor
Cook County Commissioner, 9th District
Bridget Degnen
Cook County Commissioner, 12th District
Scott Britton
Cook County Commissioner, 14th District
Kevin Morrison
Cook County Commissioner, 15th District
Frank Aguilar
Cook County Commissioner, 16th District
Samantha Steele
Cook County Board of Review Commissioner, 2nd District
Precious Brady-Davis
MWRD Commissioner
Sharon Waller
MWRD Commissioner
Maggie O’Keefe
Committeeperson, 40th Ward
Lucy Moog
Committeeman, 43rd Ward
Sean Tenner
Committeeman, 46th Ward
Paul Rosenfeld
Committeeman, 47th Ward
Ted Mason
Elk Grove Township Democratic Committeeperson
Maria Galo
Palatine Township Democratic Committeeperson
Daniel Biss
Mayor of Evanston
Jennifer Custer
Chicago School Board Member, 1st District
Carlos Rivas
Chicago School Board Member, 3rd District
Michilla Blaise
Chicago School Board Member, 5th District
Jessica Biggs
Chicago School Board Member, 6th District
Yesenia Lopez
Chicago School Board Member, 7th District
Anusha Thotakura
Chicago School Board Member, 6th District
Che ‘Rhymefest’ Smith
Chicago School Board Member, 10th District
Jamie Brown
CCPSA District Council Member, 1st District
Alexander Perez
CCPSA District Council Member, 2nd District
Dion Terrell McGill
CCPSA District Council Member, 7th District
Erin Vogel
CCPSA District Council Member, 9th District
Elianne Bahena
CCPSA District Council Member, 10th District
Rosemarie Dominguez
CCPSA District Council Member, 10th District
Alees Edwards
CCPSA District Council Member, 11th District
Leonardo Quintero
CCPSA District Council Member, 12th District
Ashley Vargas
CCPSA District Council Member, 14th District
David Orlikoff
CCPSA District Council Member, 14th District
Anthony Michael Tamez
CCPSA District Council Member, 17th District
Elizabeth Rochford
CCPSA District Council Member, 17th District
Jennifer Schaffer
CCPSA District Council Member, 19th District
Sam Schoenburg
CCPSA District Council Member, 19th District
Anna Rubin
CCPSA District Council Member, 20th District
Darrell Dacres
CCPSA District Council Member, 20th District
Deirdre O’Connor
CCPSA District Council Member, 20th District
Marilyn Pagan-Banks
CCPSA District Council Member, 24th District
Keo Jean-Joseph
CCPSA District Council Member, 24th District
Veronica Arreola
CCPSA District Council Member, 24th District
Angelica Green
CCPSA District Council Member, 25th District
Holly Kim
Lake County Treasurer
Gina Roberts
Lake County Board Member, 4th District
Carissa Casbon
Lake County Board Member, 7th District
Jessica Vealitzek
Lake County Forest Preserve President & Lake County Board Member, 10th District
Paul Frank
Lake County Board Member, 11th District
Jennifer Clark
Lake County Board Member, 15th District
Michele Smith
Former Alderperson, 43rd Ward
Bill Manganaro
Trustee, Village of Arlington Heights
Carina H. Santa Maria
Trustee, Village of Arlington Heights
Yasmeen Bankole
Trustee, Hanover Park
Kevin Michael
Member, Arlington Heights School District 25 Board of Education
