ACTION ALERT: Attend Public Hearing by I.C.E., Take a Stand Against Cruel Deportations

Attend Public Hearing by I.C.E. Take a Stand Against Cruel Deportations

On Wednesday, August 17th, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is coming to Chicago to have a public hearing on Secure Communities, the broken deportation program that is catching non-criminals, separating families, and draining law enforcement resources.

This hearing comes less than 2 weeks after ICE broke their signed agreement with the State of Illinois, and told Governor Quinn that he had no choice but to participate in the program.  Governor Quinn opted out of Secure Communities on May 4th.  He made Illinois the first state to opt-out, followed by NY and MA.

Now ICE is breaking their contracts with every state, and saying they have no right to opt-out.   This hearing is our opportunity to show that Illinois is united behind our Governor in rejecting this cruel and wasteful program.

Wednesday, August 17th ICIRR Press Conference @ 5pm; Randolph & Desplanes Secure Communities Public Hearing @ 6pm; Ibew Hall 600 W. Washington Blvd. Location: TBD RSVP to ssmith@icirr.org

What You Should Know About the Secure Communities Program:

-Secure Communities is a dragnet deportation program that makes us less safe by eroding the public trust and draining limited police resources.  It claims to be focused on violent criminals, but 78 percent of those it captures in Illinois are non-criminals or have only been charged with minor offenses.

-This program has been shown to have a connection to racial profiling, as in the case of the McHenry County Sheriff’s office.

-Secure Communities also erodes trust between police and immigrant communities.  When our friends and neighbors are being deported for alleged minor traffic violations (crossing a yellow line, having a dreamcatcher hanging from a rearview mirror), immigrants become terrified of interacting with police, serving as witnesses, or reporting crime.