Chicago Council of Lawyers

Black text on white background Statement on Abuse of Power of ICE and Other Federal Agents in Chicago On October 3, 2026 Alderwoman Jessie Fuentes (26th) witnessed ICE agents attempting to detain a patient at a clinic in her ward - a patient seeking medical care after ICE allegedly used excessive force and broke his leg. When Ald. Fuentes asked the agents for an arrest warrant - a basic constitutional requirement - they refused and instead unjustifiably put her in handcuffs. Showing a warrant before detention is not optional; it's a cornerstone of constitutional law. And yet, ICE agents continue to ignore this requirement. This is not new, nor is it an isolated incident. ICE agents continue to violate civil liberties with impunity, and if we continue to allow this erosion of due process to go unchecked, we risk undermining the foundation of our democracy. Due process is not negotiable. We will not stay silent. We must stand together to demand accountability. What's playing out day-by-day is a warning that we must organize and not relent. Speak out and show up. Go to ICE watch trainings. Learn your rights so you can protect the rights of those around you. And we, as members of the City Council hold firm that it will take a coalition all of us, united across racial and ethnic communities, political leanings, ages and socioeconomic status, to stand up to the disturbing pattern of abuse from ICE and the federal government, and the complete disregard for the rights we hold as Americans.

List of elected officials

Statement on Abuse of Power of ICE and Other Federal Agents in Chicago

if you're not sure who the Illinois State Police are there to protect, here's a helpful guide:

the people they have their backs to, who they are not pushing or giving orders to, are the ones being protected

@govpritzker.illinois.gov has deployed the state police to protect ICE operations

Adopt a Day Labor Corner Chicago · National Day Laborer Organizing Network The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), Latino Union of Chicago and Casa DuPage are calling on the public to Adopt a Day Labor Corner. Please join NDLON and on Thursday, October , for a ...

SHORT NOTICE: Today, Oct 2. Virtual Event.
Adopt a Day-Laborer Corner workshop on how to show up in person, nonviolently, with courage, love, & urgency for our immigrant neighbors.

National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Latino Union of Chicago, Casa DuPage host.

www.mobilize.us/ndlon/event/...

The Chicago Council of Lawyers condemns what is happening with purported immigration enforcement in Broadview, Illinois.
Read our statement here: chicagocouncil.org/2025-09-30-c...

See our post from September 16—The Independence of Federal Law Enforcement—Under Assault from long time board member Rob Held.

chicagocouncil.org/the-independ...

www.chicagogapacoalition.com/general-9
the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability is searching for a full-time Campaign Coordinator.

Beat Back Trump’s Attack on the Pretrial Fairness Act! President Trump has said he wants to end the Pretrial Fairness Act and bring back money bail in Illinois. We are asking people from across the state to call on their legislators and Governor Pritzker ...

It would be devastating if something like this limited or reversed the progress that the law has made. Please use this online tool to contact Illinois lawmakers in support of protecting the Pretrial Fairness Act and share the link widely with your networks.

bit.ly/CCL-Protect-PFA

Purple Graphic: Join Us in calling on Gov. Pritzker and the Illinois legislature to protect the Pretrial Fairness Act. Take action: bit.ly/BeatBackTrump

This is very concerning for us, as Illinois was the first state in the country to abolish money bond in 2023 with the Pretrial Fairness Act—one of the most significant reforms to the Illinois criminal legal system ever.

Call to action graphic: We cannot allow Trump to deny the will of the people and scale back this monumental reform. Click HERE to write to lawmakers and let them know you have their back in support of the Pretrial Fairness Act. www.facebook.com/endmoneybond Beat Back Trump's Attack on the Pretrial Fairness Act. Bit.ly/BeatBackTrump

Trump is targeting jurisdictions that have implemented money bond reforms. There's still some question about what exactly this means, but it's been reported that the order will "revoke federal funding from local and state governments that allow cashless bail."

bit.ly/CCL-Protect-PFA

Since Illinois eliminating cash bail, this is probably the biggest change for the better to our criminal justice system. This is a huge deal for protecting people's constitutional rights!

Governor Pritzker Signs the FAIR Act into Law! - Coalition to End Money Bond Yeseterday, Governor JB Pritzker signed the FAIR (Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation) Act into law. Advocates and public defenders across Illinois are celebrating this meaningful and long ov...

Yesterday, @govpritzker.illinois.gov signed the FAIR Act into law!

This historic legislation creates a Statewide Public Defender Office, marking the first major overhaul of the state’s trial-level public defense system since 1949.
endmoneybond.org/2025/08/16/g...

Beat Back Trump’s Attack on the Pretrial Fairness Act! President Trump has said he wants to end the Pretrial Fairness Act and bring back money bail in Illinois. We are asking people from across the state to call on their legislators and Governor Pritzker ...

President Trump has said he wants to end the Pretrial Fairness Act and bring back money bail in IL.

We are asking people from across the state to call on their legislators & Governor Pritzker to defend this historic victory from the Trump administration’s lies: actionnetwork.org/letters/beat...

Consider a donation so that kids of parents currently incarcerated at Cook County Jail can still receive school supplies from their moms and dads

Thank you for over 900 donations of notebooks, folders, crayons, etc! We have one more day to finish the list so that supplies arrive in time for next week's visits. www.target.com/gift-registr...

Join us at the All Bar Networking Social 8/26 5:00pm at the Hubbard Inn! Ticket purchase includes a wristband drink package and appetizers. All members of Chicago's Legal Community are welcome.
www.chicagobar.org/AllBarSocial

1st District today upheld Circuit Court that closed door arbitration hearings for the most serious #PoliceMisconduct cases violate Illinois public policy & do not serve the interests of the transparency.

We're proud to have been amicus in the case.

chicagocouncil.org/wp-content/u...

CPD Data Shows Steep Drop in Shootings, Homicides in Neighborhoods Where ShotSpotter Was Removed: Analysis Police beats that had ShotSpotter sensors saw an approximately 17.8% decrease in violent crime and a 37.5% decrease in homicides during the first six months of 2025, as compared with the first six mon...

NEW: Nearly a year after Chicago officials turned off the city's gunshot detection system, a new analysis of Chicago crime data shows a steep drop in violent crime & homicides in the 12 South and West side neighborhoods that had ShotSpotter sensors. @wttw.bsky.social

Contrary to Trump's rants, Illinois criminal justice reforms have been effective Ending cash bail doesn’t mean dangerous people are roaming the streets. It means that a judge decides whether a person should be released from jail pending trial based on risk and not wealth.

"Contrary to Trump's rants, Illinois criminal justice reforms have been effective"‪

Thank you @repgreggjohnson.bsky.social‬ & @repguzzardi39.bsky.social‬ for speaking the truth & defending the Pretrial Fairness Act: chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/...

Next time you hear law enforcement complain that EM reforms no longer require near-total house arrest, read pp. 11-12 about Sheriff Dart's program *after* the law changed.

If EM gets you harassed by cops at your job, barred from work, and fired, leading you to conclude it's easier to sell drugs...

graphic showing a statute of blind justice (a blindfolded lady holding a sword and the scales of justice) which reads August 4, 2025, Chicago Council of Lawyers Condemns Trump's Proposed Defunding of the Legal Services Corporation. It shows the Chicago Council of Lawyers logo (the nested letters CCL) and its web address: www.ChicagoCouncil.org.

Read our statement on the proposed defunding of #LegalServicesCorporation #Courts #LegalAid #CivilLegalServices

chicagocouncil.org/chicago-coun...

Our NEW report, "The Impact of the Pretrial Fairness Act on Electronic Monitoring in Cook County," is out now! bit.ly/EM_PretrialFairnessAct

Cook County Experiences Increase in Pretrial Jailing after New State’s Attorney Takes Office  - Coalition to End Money Bond Upon taking office as the Cook County State’s Attorney, Eileen O’Neill Burke has implemented several policy changes that are contributing to a rise in pretrial jailing. It is notable that there has be...

Yesterday, the number of people incarcerated in Cook County Jail rose above 6,000 people for the first time since March 2022.

Learn more about how State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke is driving up pretrial jailing: endmoneybond.org/2025/07/15/c...

Brightly colored graphic advertising Chicago Appleseed's Raise Your Voice for Advocacy Karaoke Night. "Jam out with Chicago Appleseed to support our ongoing advocacy for fair and accessible courts!" Sept 30, 6:00pm at GMan Tavern, 3740 N Clark Street Chicago. $15 ticket $5 per song. Register at bit.ly/karaokeforadvocacy

Our partner NPO advocacy organization @chicagoappleseed.org is having a social fundraiser at the end of September! Join them for an evening of casual fun for a good cause. $15 entry $5 to sing #KaraokeForAdvocacy Tickets at: bit.ly/karaokeforadvocacy

Join us for karaoke night on 9/30 at Gman Tavern. Sing your heart out, and connect with community, and support our work for fair, accessible courts in Chicago! 🎤✨

🪩 $15 at the door + $5 per song
🪩 Reserve your spot at bit.ly/karaokeforadvocacy

ICE Agents Are Camped Outside Immigration Courts to Make Arrests The tactical shift accelerates the erosion of past limitations — and appears to be aimed at speeding up the pace of deportations.

"At New York's Varick Immigration Court, ICE agents on Wednesday began checking the documents of everyone who left."

"They are indeed checking individuals off lists and attempting to detain them once they leave court."

"Immigration courts should be spaces of justice — not traps."
#USA #Deportation

❗ Hey, Chicago/Cook County friends, got 2 mins? ✌️

👩🏾‍💻👨‍💻 Use @caarprnow.bsky.social's quick online form to send an important message to Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke and IL Attorney General Kwame Raoul:

❌️🧊 Close the Broadview ICE detention center! ⤵️

After Burke and Madigan Convictions, Push for Ethics Reform at Inflection Point: Analysis Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward) will ask the Ethics Committee on Monday to advance a proposal designed to prevent the city’s top lawyer from intervening in ongoing probes that risk “embarrassment or poli...

Our statement in support of the ordinance to enhance the independence of the #InspectorGeneral is cited in this #WTTW story: news.wttw.com/2025/07/14/a...

Read our statement here: chicagocouncil.org/chicago-coun...

Say Their Names.
stevebrodner.substack.com

We have officially made the court assessment waiver in Cook Cty traffic court permanent! Thank you ‪@govpritzker.illinois.gov‬ for signing #SB108 into law. #CTAA We're proud to have been part of the fines & fees justice coalition that worked to pass the bill.

If Supt. Snelling wanted to, yesterday he could have told the public:

1. The death of a child is a tragedy and CPD takes this shooting investigation very seriously

2. Even with a concealed-carry permit, possessing a gun in the park is a felony, so CPD is also investigating any gun violations

Flyer for the 2025 Annual Police Accountability Forum sponsored by the Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society. It reads "Sharon Fairley moderates our annual panel discussion on the state of police oversight in Chicago. Join us in person, or view the program over Zoom! Panelists include: LaKenya White, COPA Acting Chief Administrator, Loren Jones, Impact for Equity, Max Caproni, Executive Director, Chicago Police Board. bit.ly/CCL_PAF2025 CLE credit available. June 27, 2025, noon, hosted by Latham & Watkins, 330 N Wabash, Chicago

Register for our annual police accountability forum. Attend in person (light lunch will be served!) or via Zoom (link forthcoming). bit.ly/CCL_PAF2025 The forum is open to everyone and #CLE credit is available for attorneys. @acslaw.bsky.social #Chicago #PoliceAccountability