Friend, it’s Juliana.

Trump has officially deployed armed federal agents in Chicago.

Agents in the Chicago Loop on Sunday, September 28. Via the Chicago Sun-Times

Agents in the Chicago Loop on Sunday, September 28.

These federal agents have swamped our streets, carrying large weapons, dressed in camouflage, and masked — not to protect anyone, but to enforce Trump’s mass deportation agenda, silence protestors, instill fear and intimidate our communities, and respond to the manufactured chaos the Trump administration created.

And this is not the first of their attacks. For weeks, peaceful protestors outside of the Broadview ICE facility have been attacked with tear gas, rubber bullets, and have been thrown to the pavement for standing up for what’s right.

This is not about crime, like Trump wants you to believe. Our city is making real progress on public safety: homicides are down 33%, shootings are down 39%, and overall violent crime has dropped.

So why parade federal agents down the streets? To scare and punish people who stand up to him.

Illinois protects our immigrant neighbors — the same families Trump wants to criminalize — and he wants to punish us for refusing to bend the knee.

Here in Illinois, we’ve been ready for their attacks. We’ve passed some of the strongest protections for immigrant families anywhere in the country, because Illinois will never participate in Trump’s deportation machine.

But since we refuse to go along with his authoritarian agenda, he’s using armed federal agents as props for his political theater, turning our city into a stage for fear.

I’m fighting back against this abuse of power as Lieutenant Governor alongside Governor Pritzker. We refuse to let this stand in our home. I’ve spent my life defending immigrant communities, implementing Illinois’ landmark legislation on immigrant rights, and standing with families for justice. I will not let fear dictate our future.

But we need to know you stand with us in defending our immigrant communities against Trump’s manufactured chaos.

If you’re with us, add your name to demand that Donald Trump keep his hands off Chicago and to stop intimidating and targeting our immigrant communities.

ADD YOUR NAME

Together, we will send Trump a message that he will not tear apart our city.

Juliana Stratton