Kabba added, “This is what unity looks like and because we stood united we’re able to keep families together. The Obama administration has said it wants to prioritize its efforts on dangerous criminals – this bill helps the president by requiring ICE to use its discretion on who it wants to hold.”Īlie Kabba, board president with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said, “Today is a historic day.” citizens, who pose no danger to our communities. Agatha Church in Chicago said, “Many of the people getting caught up in immigration enforcement are hard-working children and families of U.S. The money spent could be better used on housing, health care, hospitals, anti-violence programs, parks and other service priorities, they add. Many note that federal requests to hold people are ineffective and target the most vulnerable. “In a democratic society the one thing we cannot have breakdown is trust and faith in the rule of law.”Ī diverse coalition of community, religious, social justice, immigrant rights, labor, business and civic organizations countywide also supported the new ordinance. “The indiscriminate and haphazard use of detainers is chilling the level of cooperation between local law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect,” said Tobolski. It’s important for us to recognize that this is about increasing safety, this is about serving the taxpayers better, and this is about keeping families together.”ĭuring the debate and before the vote Democratic Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski said everyone in Cook County should have the same rights and equal protections that he has as a white American citizen. “The disincentive for the thousands of immigrants in our county – including lawful immigrants and permanent residents – to cooperate with local law enforcement places a great strain on our communities. “There are troubling inconsistencies in the current ICE policies that are in place at the Cook County jail system, and this is a great step forward toward a more suitable, fair policy,” she said. Chicago is the largest municipality in Cook County, with 54 percent of the population, and the county’s main jail is the largest single-site jail in the country.īoth Chicago and Cook County have passed sanctuary ordinances that prohibit local governments from directly cooperating with federal immigration agents and from turning away undocumented immigrants for services.Ĭook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, a Democrat, commended Garcia and other commissioners for their majority vote. Residents of the county comprise over 40 percent of Illinois’ population. In Cook County, complying with the federal detainer requests does not cover any possible lawsuits and other damages that might result from wrongful arrest, deportation, detention or possible death or injury sustained by individuals held beyond their authorized time of release from the Sheriff’s custody.Ĭook County is the second most populous county in the nation with over 5 million residents, next to Los Angeles County. The Cook County ordinance was based on a recent federal ruling in Indiana that determined Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers are voluntary requests and not criminal warrants. citizens, including veterans, by mistake.” But these detainers are not based on probable cause and they have been imposed on U.S. “That would violate constitutional guarantees like due process and equal protection. “In America, we don’t detain people without probable cause,” said County Commissioner Jesus Garcia, a Democrat, and the measure’s main sponsor. Many of the suspected undocumented immigrants have been held under the requests for several days, most on minor offenses like traffic violations and disorderly conduct. Currently Cook County faces a budget shortfall of over $300 million for the upcoming fiscal year. Supporters of the measure say the “detainer” requests is costing the county over $15 million annually, or roughly $143 per detainee every day. The ordinance also prohibits immigration officials from having access to people detained by the county without a criminal warrant. Cook County will not honor these holds until there is a plan for re-imbursement. The legislation, which takes effect immediately, will require the federal government to reimburse Cook County for placing 48-hour immigration “holds” on undocumented immigrants that it wishes to interview. 7, that aims to free suspected undocumented immigrants being held in jails throughout the county on misdemeanor cases, despite federal requests to hold them for possible deportation. CHICAGO – In a 10-5 vote, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed a major immigrant rights ordinance, Wednesday, Sept.
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