Chicago’s Progressive Aldermen Float Meaningless ‘Resolution’ Against ICE Agents Wearing Masks

Progressives’ latest gimmick should be dismissed as grandstanding and an attempt to complicate or delegitimize immigration enforcement

In another example of meaningless political showboating, Chicago, Aldermen Andre Vasquez (40) and Michael Rodriguez (22) pushed out a "resolution" in the City Council that calls on the State of Illinois to "prohibit federal agents from concealing their identity" during the performance of their duties.

This document is chiefly aimed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and would supposedly "ban" them from wearing masks while arresting illegal aliens and other criminals in Illinois. It is, of course, a meaningless exercise meant only to gain publicity, not to actually affect any real policy goals.

This empty resolution reminds us that the City of Chicago passed its "sanctuary" ordinance in 2012 that the two aldermen claim "limits federal immigration enforcement" in Chicago, which, of course, it does not, because Chicago city government has no role whatever in immigration enforcement as it is strictly a federal — not a local — matter.

In their resolution, the aldermen go on to complain that "over the last few months masked federal agents have been raiding Chicagoan's homes and places of business and abducting our residents without warrants," which is a hyperbolic claim verging on falsehood. Most of the people ICE has taken into custody have been criminals who have ICE detainers and warrants out for their arrest. Some few have been those who have attempted to interfere in legal and legitimate law enforcement actions. ICE is not "raiding Chicagoans' homes," and illegal aliens are not "residents," in the first place. They are illegal aliens, here illegally, and illegally working and living in the city.

But the resolution's weakest bit is at the end.

The letter ends by meekly calling on the State of Illinois to act on a matter it has no legal ability to do, namely, "pass legislation that prohibits federal agents conducting arrests from wearing masks and requiring them to wear appropriate uniforms, and present identification when conducting arrests."

All that is something that the state has no role whatever to enact. The conduct and policies of federal law enforcement are not up to a state legislature to create and put in place. Federal agencies are just that: Federal. They are controlled from Washington, D.C., not Springfield, Illinois.

None of this is a surprise from Alderman Vasquez. After all, he is the man who once stated on the floor of the City Council a city without police was a "North Star" for the nation.

In the end, this silly resolution is meaningless and meant to stir hate against ICE, not to mention get Vasquez and Rodriquez some publicity.

In his Instagram post on this showboating, Rodriguez bloviated:

"Andre Vasquez (40) and I took a stand for transparency, accountability, and community safety by introducing a resolution calling on the Illinois General Assembly to ban federal agents from concealing their identities by wearing masks.

In recent months, masked federal agents have abducted Chicagoans from their homes and workplaces without warrants, uniforms, or identification. These actions are not only terrifying, they are a direct assault on our shared values of justice, dignity, and democratic governance.

Every person deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood. That means rejecting fear-based tactics, defending civil liberties, and ensuring government accountability at every level. We cannot allow unmarked agents to operate with impunity, these actions erode trust and disproportionately harm already marginalized communities."

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Of course, all of this is bunk. Illegals are not "marginalized" in the least in "sanctuary" Chicago. Indeed, they get far more deference, support, and tax dollars than any citizen ever does. Mayor Brandon Johnson has thrown more than $400 million of the city's tax dollars at illegals over the past two years.

America is not the world's ATM and Chicago is wallowing in massive budget shortfalls and cannot afford to continue paying hundreds of millions for a "community" that is a net deficit to the city.

If Aldermen Vasquez and Rodriquez was to find real solutions for Chicago, they'll work with ICE to weed out the costly illegals, return budget money to support actual, legal citizens, and work on reversing the oppressively hobbling business climate in Chicago so jobs makers can return and once again make Chicago the "City that Works."

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