Chicago: Joint Statement from the Mayors of America’s Largest Cities Regarding Department of Homeland Security Funding Negotiations
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Mayors of America's largest cities and economic engines, we bear direct responsibility for public safety in the most diverse communities in the nation. We know what keeps communities safe. Public safety depends on trust between residents and law enforcement.  When federal agents operate in our streets without identification, without warrants, and without accountability, that trust is shattered. The result is not safety—it is disorder, fear, and the erosion of local authority to govern and protect its residents.

We stand united with Democratic Leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer in demanding immediate reform and an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) unchecked and reckless operation in American cities. All of us agree that for so long as the agency exists, new funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must be conditioned on the comprehensive 10-point framework released last week.

In Minneapolis, the world witnessed the ultimate cost of unchecked federal power. The tragic deaths of Renee Good, a mother of three, and Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse helping another resident being harmed by federal law enforcement, both U.S. citizens, are not isolated events. They are the foreseeable, yet devastating reality of allowing a federal agency to operate as a violent paramilitary force in American cities, shielded by immunity and emboldened by impunity. It is time for Congress to exercise its authority and hold DHS accountable.

As Congress approaches the February 13th funding deadline, we issue a somber warning: what happened and is continuing to happen in Minneapolis and in our cities is part of a terrifying and intentional pattern of violent tactics used by federal law enforcement targeting residents—regardless of immigration status—instilling fear in communities, undermining our constitutional protections, and corroding the democratic values we are sworn to uphold. These things are not just happening in Minneapolis. In addition:
  • In Portland, we have witnessed excessive and indiscriminate use of force by federal agents against peaceful protesters, including children and seniors, exercising their Constitutionally-protected First Amendment rights. We have also seen members of our community haphazardly detained without identification or explanation from their captors, leaving their families wondering about where their loved ones have been taken.
  • In Chicago, masked agents in tactical gear have been documented roaming our neighborhoods, refusing to identify themselves to local law enforcement or elected officials. We have received credible reports of agents violating the Fourth Amendment rights that protect every person.
  • In Los Angeles immigration raids have continued since June, when the city became the test case for this administration's aggressive, unlawful, and inhumane campaign. Federal agents have chased people through Home Depots and car washes, showed up at schools and emergency rooms, and sowed fear across the city, making families afraid to go to school, work, and local stores and restaurants. There are reports of Angelenos—including U.S. citizens—being tased, dragged, and unlawfully detained. Federal agents even shoved and handcuffed a sitting U.S. Senator and detained and arrested labor leader David Huerta.  
  • In Denver, a nationally recognized immigration activist named Jeanette Vizguerra was picked up by federal authorities upon leaving her lunch break. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston joined fellow lawmakers, advocates, and members of the community in calling for an immediate halt to her deportation. While her deportation was stalled, Jeanette was still held in custody for nine months until a judge ordered she be granted bond after finding Homeland Security had failed to justify her detention.

The federal government must be held to the same standard we demand of our local police departments. The 10-point accountability framework is not 'radical' or impractical. It is not optional. It represents the bare minimum standard for lawful, professional conduct in a constitutional democracy. The demands set forth in the 10-point accountability framework include:
  • An immediate end to the use of face masks that allow agents to hide their identities.
  • An immediate stop to the violent tactics used by Federal Law Enforcement, including a revised use of force standard placed into law that expands training and requires certification.  
  • Mandatory body-worn cameras for all federal enforcement actions.
  • Judicial warrants before any entry onto private property and public property that is not open to general public access.  
  • Absolute protection of sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
  • Racial profiling prohibitions that would stop DHS officers from stopping, questioning, or searching individuals based on location, occupation, language or accent, race, or ethnicity.
  • Preserve the authority of state and local jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute potential crimes, including excessive force. Require preservation and sharing of evidence. Mandate state or local consent for large-scale operations beyond targeted immigration enforcement.

Professionalism does not hinder law enforcement; it legitimizes it. Anonymity and impunity are the tools of a police state, not a free republic.

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We call on Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune to accept these necessary guardrails before the February 13th funding deadline. We urge Congress to hold the line: no blank checks without reform. We cannot support a budget that funds the terrorizing of our communities.

Signed,

Baltimore, Maryland — Mayor Brandon Scott; Boston, Massachusetts — Mayor Michelle Wu; Chicago, Illinois — Mayor Brandon Johnson; Denver, Colorado — Mayor Mike Johnston; Los Angeles, California — Mayor Karen Bass; Minneapolis, Minnesota — Mayor Jacob Frey; New Orleans, Louisiana — Mayor Helena Moreno; Portland, Oregon — Mayor Keith Wilson.

Supporting Organizations: African American Mayors Association, Inc; National Forum for Black Public Administrators; National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

Filed Under: Government, City
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