Two Chicago Officials Want to Tighten up the City's Sanctuary Status

I know that is an encouraging headline but hold your applause. There are, as they say, "terms and conditions."

Chicago aldermen Silvana Tabares and Raymond Lopez, who are both Democrats, are proposing a change to the Windy City's "Welcoming City Ordinance." They may have heard the cries of their constituents, or they may have come to terms with the fact that Donald Trump is, in fact, about to become president and that Tom Homan has every intention of doing what he says he is going to do.

Whatever the case may be, the alderman sent a letter to the city council this week regarding the proposed change, which read in part:

Re:

Rule 41 - 02023-0004222 Amendment of Municipal Code Section 2-173-042 allowing City agents or agencies to work with federal immigration officers regarding individuals arrested for or convicted of criminal activities.

 This amendment to the Welcoming City Ordinance is not meant to address the breakdown of enforcement by the federal government or the byzantine labyrinth individuals must navigate to enter the United States in accordance with the law. Rather, it will protect law-abiding undocumented residents by changing how the City of Chicago engages with our federal partners when non-citizens choose to disregard the law in four distinct and specific categories after they arrive in our city, ensuring that federal authorities will not have to scour communities for individuals that choose to commit dangerous crimes.

That sounds good on spec, especially in light of the Laken Riley Act and the myriad of assaults and other crimes that illegal aliens commit, including the depredations by gangs such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. However, In a statement published on X, Lopez made it clear that the change, which would remove the "no-exceptions" clause from the policy, was a preemptive move to keep the Trump administration from getting involved and protect “law-abiding undocumented and non-citizen residents.” Legal illegals, if you will. 

Yesterday @AldermanTabares and I filed a Rule 41 Notice for our proposed amendment to the Welcoming City Ordinance. We intend to call the matter for a floor vote next Wednesday.

We believe that the best way to protect law-abiding non-citizens from the returning Trump… pic.twitter.com/tEGRQRZ27r

— Ald. Raymond Lopez (@RaymondALopez) January 8, 2025

The rationale at work is that if Trump/Homan's ICE should suddenly sweep in and arrest criminal aliens, they might also scoop up and deport some of the aforementioned “law-abiding undocumented and non-citizen residents.” That, contends Tabares and Lopez, would be beyond the pale, or beyond the border, if you prefer. Lopez concludes:

We are not concerned with the political theatrics of returning President Trump or Mayor Johnson.  Our goal is to protect those that deserve our protection: those undocumented and non-citizen residents of Chicago that follow the law and contribute positively to our city while waiting for a path out of the shadows.  This amendment to the WCO, which is narrow in scope and specific on when it can be activated, will keep those individuals safe while maintaining the spirit of our city’s history and immigrant traditions. (sic)

Well, it's a start. However, the aldermen are forgetting that criminal activity is only part of the equation. It is a big part, to be sure, but it is not the only factor. As it has been reported on PJ Media and elsewhere, many of Chicago's non-white and non-affluent residents have had it eyeball-high with things like illegal immigrant base camps and prioritizing money, housing, and assistance for illegals over U.S. citizens in the city. Here is an excerpt from a piece I wrote in 2023 about a survey of Chicago residents:

Also of note: the survey said that 67% of Democrats, 74% of women, 79% of blacks, 71% of Hispanics, and 75% of West and Southside voters felt that supporting migrants takes resources away from actual Chicago residents in need. Fifty percent of respondents said that sanctuary city status made Chicago less safe. That number included 55% of the blacks and Hispanics who were polled. Forty-nine percent of white respondents from the North and Northwest sides felt that Chicago should remain a sanctuary city, versus 31% of blacks and 38% of Hispanics. Just the News had a quote from Matthew Podgorski of M3 Strategies:

Whites across Chicago are very much in favor of keeping sanctuary city by about double digit margins. Non-whites, Hispanics, blacks, and others, are overwhelmingly in favor of ending sanctuary cities. Black Chicagoans, plus 20% ending sanctuary city.

Provided Chicago's justice system works, the new proposal might impact the area's crime rate. "Provided" and "might" are the operative words here. But while Lopez and Tabares go through the motions of threading the needle, they will still leave Chicagoans out in the cold.