On July 15th, South Side Weekly released recordings of calls from the June 4th mass detention incident at the 2245 S. Michigan Avenue immigration office, which cast doubt on the Chicago Police Department (CPD)’s account of their involvement in the incident. At the July 1st hearing of the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, CPD […]
Category: News
Statement from the Chicago Progressive Caucus Regarding June 4th ICE Incident and Necessary Accountability
Posted onOn June 4th, a horrible and unconstitutional ICE Raid incident took place at 2245 S. Michigan Avenue. Immigrants who had been lured under false pretence for what they believed were routine check-ins with the Department of Homeland Security were instead detained without warning, denied legal counsel, separated from their families, and taken into custody by […]
Welcoming City Ordinance Explainer
Posted onUpdated 4/10/26 Chicago has proudly operated as a sanctuary city since 1985. But what does that mean, exactly? Below, get answers on some of your most common questions about the Welcoming City Ordinance. What does the Welcoming City Ordinance do? The Welcoming City Ordinance sets out to do the following, including but not limited to: […]
CIRR Hearing on CPD Involvement in June 4th Mass Detention
Posted onFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COMMITTEE ON IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS TO HOST HEARING ON CPD INVOLVEMENT IN SURPRISE JUNE 4TH 2025 FEDERAL IMMIGRATION DETENTION June 25, 2025 CHICAGO, IL – On June 4th, 2025, Chicago saw an alarming escalation in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents mass detained residents at […]
City Council Round-up: June 2025
Posted onCheck out our updates below for what happened in City Council this month! Thanks to our summer intern Ian McCready for helping put this edition of the round up together! Legislation Passed Snap Curfew The Snap Curfew Ordinance, SO2025-0016732, passed City Council. This ordinance allows the Chicago Police Department broad discretion to impose “snap” curfews […]
City Council Round-up: May 2025
Posted onIt was a busy month in City Council, with two full City Council meetings, and several major pieces of legislation being passed and introduced. Read on for more details! Legislation Passed Green Social Housing City Council met earlier this month to vote on the Green Social Housing Ordinance (SO2025-0015560), an effort to create long-term affordable […]
Volunteer with the 40th Ward Environmental Board this Earth Month!
Posted onApril is Earth Month! What better way to celebrate than volunteering with the 40th Ward Environmental Board to make our ward and our city a greener place? What is the Environmental Board? The Environmental Board is a group of 40th Ward neighbors who work together on sustainability and climate change mitigation efforts both in the […]
City Council Round-up: April 2025
Posted onIt was an active month in City Council, with several key pieces of legislation being debated, and several exciting new pieces of environmental legislation introduced. Read on for more details! Key Legislation Green Social Housing This week and last week, the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Housing and Real Estate held joint hearings […]
Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights Report: March 2025
Posted onOn March 18th, the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights (CIRR) held a meeting to report on the Committee’s work supporting immigrants and refugees. The hearing also featured testimony from the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) on federal immigration updates. The Committee also requested that the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights (IMRR), […]
City Council Round-up: March 2025
Posted onAt the latest City Council meeting on March 12th, members of City Council discussed a potential fur ban, voted on a settlement from a police misconduct case from 2020, and passed several resolutions, including one for Women’s History Month. Find out more below: Fur Ban We had several neighbors reach out asking Alder Vasquez to […]
City Council Round-up: February 2025
Posted onFebruary was a busy month in City Council! At the City Council meeting on February 20th, members of City Council discussed the Mayor’s proposed capital bond (though ultimately, the vote was postponed until the following Wednesday), as well as several key legislative items that Ald. Vasquez lead or sponsored, including: Curbstoning Ordinance Last week, the […]
First Town Hall of 2025!
Posted onThank you to everyone who came out (on one of the coldest days of the year, no less) to attend the 40th Ward Town Hall! We really appreciate your engagement, and all of your great questions. If you weren’t able to make it, we’ve got you covered. Check out the video below: Please note: the […]