Who are some of the Illinois guests who will attend the 2026 State of the Union address?
From ICE raids in Chicago to the death of Rev. Jesse Jackson, several guests at Tuesday night's State of the Union address will have local connections to some of the biggest events of the past year, all as guests of members of Congress.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will be in Washington on Tuesday night too, speaking after President Trump's address in an unofficial rebuttal at the National Press Club alongside the mayor of Minneapolis, and several other prominent Democrats and celebrities.
Inside the House chamber, several unelected folks from the Chicago area will quietly represent the hardship President Trump's moves on immigration and tariffs have had on this country.
Three weeks after she testified on Capitol Hill, Marimar Martinez will be U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's guest at the State of the Union. Martinez was shot five times by a federal immigration officer last fall and was charged but later cleared of assaulting federal agents.
She will not be the only Chicagoan in the audience whose life was upended by the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts.
Jaime, a student at UIC from Mount Prospect, will be a guest of U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi.
Krishnamoorthi's office said Jaime's father was detained for five days last fall at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview.
The 30-year union roofer, who was undocumented but had no criminal history, according to his son, was coerced into signing a "voluntary departure" back to Mexico. Krishnamoorthi's office didn't share Jaime's last name as his father's case plays out.
"My father was saying there was 60 people crammed in the room, and they didn't allow the congressman to go in. That is possibly what we should be talking about; more oversight," Jaime said.
Mr. Trump's tariffs also will be a target of his critics.
Rick Woldenberg is the Vernon Hills-based CEO of toymaker Learning Resources, which filed the lawsuit which led to the Supreme Court ruling striking down a set of sweeping global tariffs. Woldenberg will be the guest of Congressman Brad Schneider as tariffs are expected take center stage in Mr. Trump's speech.
Also, four of Rev. Jesse Jackson's children will be in the chamber during the speech. Santita, Yusef, and Jesse Jr. will be guests of House Minority Lader Hakeem Jeffries. Their brother, Congressman Jonathan Jackson, will also attend as a member of the House of Representatives.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly will have the CEO of the Chicago Urban League as her guest. Outgoing U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin will have original "Dreamer" Tereza Lee as his guest. Lee was Durbin's inspiration to write the DREAM Act 25 years ago to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
Meantime, at least six Democratic members of the Illinois congressional delegation will boycott the State of the Union in protest of the president – Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Reps. Sean Casten, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, and Eric Sorensen.
