FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, IL — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) convened local immigration nonprofit and advocacy organizations to discuss the recent spike in immigration enforcement activity in Central and Southern Illinois.
Groups from across Illinois’ 13th District, from Springfield and Decatur to the Metro East, were present to discuss fears and the chilling effects facing immigrant communities due to ICE activity. Participants raised concerns with increasing workplace raids, immigrant communities not seeking healthcare due to fear of ICE presence, and next steps for lawmakers and local organizations to protect immigrants across Central and Southern Illinois.
“The surge in ICE activity we have seen across Central and Southern Illinois is deeply concerning,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “I am grateful for the opportunity to bring together local immigration advocates, nonprofit leaders, and my friend Congressman Chuy García to talk about how we can work together to keep our communities safe. The weaponization of ICE and other federal agents under the orders of President Trump have ripped families apart and deeply frightened our neighborhoods. I am going to continue to push back to ensure that everyone who calls Illinois home can live here with dignity and without fear.”
“For months, our state has been the target of the Trump administration’s violent and unlawful anti-immigrant campaign. As horrific and traumatic as this year has been, our communities have not been broken. We have organized, mobilized, and fought back. The advocacy groups like the ones we met with today have been protecting community members, and doing the rapid response work needed in the current environment,” said Congressman García. “This is a scary and turbulent time, but we are not powerless. We have community support, we are winning in the courts, and we are on the right side of history.”
Congresswoman Budzinski is a cosponsor of the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, legislation introduced by Congressman García that would prohibit immigration enforcement actions in spaces that provide essential services and refuge, such as houses of worship, schools, hospitals, courthouses, and other community centers.
In September, Congresswoman Budzinski and Congressman García joined their Illinois colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem demanding answers about the extreme immigration enforcement operations in Illinois under “Operation Midway Blitz” and “Operation at Large.” In the letter, the lawmakers emphasized how officials conducting these operations were violating due process and endangering immigrant communities.
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