Little Village leaders urge Mayor Brandon Johnson to do more to stop ICE agents from using city property
Community leaders in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood are calling on Mayor Brandon Johnson to do more to enforce his executive order barring federal agents from using city-owned property for immigration enforcement operations, after a video surfaced allegedly showing vehicles with agents inside a parking lot of a Chicago public school.
The video, taken on Tuesday by a resident of the neighborhood, appears to show multiple vehicles with federal agents inside the parking lot of Lázaro Cardenas Elementary School off 25th Street and Central Park Avenue.
"They are using a CPS parking lot!" the woman who took the video is heard saying as she records the vehicles.
At a news conference, the mother of a Cardenas Elementary student told reporters in Spanish that schools should be a safe place for children and added that parents and students were left upset and concerned at the reported presence of federal agents on school property.
"This is shameful that they're using these properties to attack our families," said Baltazar Enriquez, the president of the Little Village Community Council. "They're using CPS properties to attack our families."
Enriquez said the incident at the school is just the latest case of federal agents allegedly violating an executive order signed by Mayor Johnson on Oct. 6 to prohibit the feds' use of property owned by the city.
"What we're asking for is for actions," Enriquez said. "We want them to come and put a sign here and every school in Little Village that ICE agents cannot use CPS property."
One of the signs Enriquez referred to is installed on the fence of a city Water Department property, where Enriquez said there was a previous instance of agents using the parking lot there to prepare ahead of immigration enforcement operations in the area.
Enriquez acknowledged the signs might not fully deter federal agents from using city-owned property for their operations, but said installing the signs can help trigger legal action if the feds are found to be violating the executive order.
"If they do enter the property, that's a violation, and we will take them to court," Enriquez said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security criticized the mayor's policy.
"Mayor Johnson has shown time and time again he does not care about the safety of our federal law enforcement officers or Chicagoans," the statement from the spokesperson said.
Chicago Public Schools said they learned on Tuesday afternoon that federal agents were outside two Lázaro Cardenas Elementary School and Farragut Career Academy, where students were practicing, during after-school hours. They said agents did not interact with students or enter school grounds, and that students and staff at both schools were safe.
In a statement, CPS said, "CPS provides ongoing training to ensure that all school-based staff are well-informed and prepared to implement the most up-to-date safety and security procedures and protocols. This training is designed to equip staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to respond effectively to any incident, with a focus on safeguarding the safety and well-being of students and staff."
The mayor's office has yet to respond to requests for comment.