At least 10 immigrants were detained by ICE agents in Chicago’s South Loop after they were lured to a routine immigration appointment. Families watched in horror as their loved ones, mothers, fathers, neighbors were pulled away in handcuffs. Some were left without any answers. One child was left without their mother.

This didn’t happen quietly. It happened in front of elected officials and community advocates. And when those officials tried to intervene, they say ICE officers responded with violence. Alders and advocates were shoved, knocked down, and threatened with weapons—all while trying to protect their constituents.

This is not what safety looks like. This is not what justice looks like. And this is not how a “Welcoming City” should treat its immigrant residents.

Chicago’s sanctuary laws and Illinois’ Trust Act exist to prevent exactly this kind of collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents. But those protections failed this week. And now, families are shattered—and we still don’t know how many more are at risk.

We demand a full public investigation into ICE’s actions, the role of local law enforcement, and how this operation was allowed to take place in violation of the values and laws of our city and state.

Sign this petition to call on Mayor Brandon Johnson, the City of Chicago, and state officials to investigate these arrests immediately, defend our sanctuary laws, and ensure this never happens again. What happened in the South Loop cannot be allowed to stand.

[Photo Credit Joshua Lott via Washington Post]