Local Progress

From direct threats to themselves to fear in their immigrant communities, our members are feeling the weight of the second Trump administration.

Over the next few weeks, we'll share more interviews to tell the #LocalStory of how our members are fighting back against Trump.

This summer, over 500 local elected officials from across the country gathered in Chicago for our national convening.

We interviewed over a dozen local leaders to gain their perspective on a range of issues, from immigration to tariffs. Here's what they had to say 👇

As Alderperson Fuentes asks for rationale, ICE puts its barbarity on display. Arresting a local official for protecting a neighbor from abduction while they were being treated in a hospital.

Government workers are furloughed, but ICE is still paid to terrorize our communities.

Federal Agents Handcuff Chicago Alderperson At Hospital ER In another incident caught on video Friday, federal agents inside a car randomly threw tear gas into a Logan Square street while people — including a 2-year-old — were outside nearby.

LP Member & Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes was arrested this afternoon for protecting an immigrant neighbor as they were recovering in the hospital.

This is the THIRD local official this year ICE has brutally arrested for exercising their duties. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/03/f...

Philadelphia City Council passes bill to protect workers who speak up for rights Employers face fines of $2,000 for each violation, such as retaliation for workers standing up for their rights, under the worker protection bill.

At a time when workers and immigrants have been thrown into precarity and fear, The POWER Act out of Philadelphia is a model for how localities can provide some more stability and protection.

Shoutout to @kendraphlcouncil.bsky.social for championing it!
whyy.org/articles/phi...

From balancing local budgets to attending immigration court with our neighbors, there is so much local officials can do to resist this authoritarian takeover.

The federal government is hoping shock & awe will keep us from acting, but our members are ready to fight back.

Drawing from experiences in LA, Portland, and DC - our members detail dozens of actions local leaders can take with their own local power to resist.

📷 Diminish surveillance infrastructure
👪 Build networks of community care
📋 Strategize resistance with community partners

NEW: LP members @cmlewisgeorgew4.bsky.social, CM Soto-Martínez, & @andrefor40th.bsky.social have a new op-ed laying out the playbook for how progressive local leaders can respond to federal troop deployments.

While congress sits on its hand, local officials must act to defend their communities.

'It's going to get ugly': L.A. immigrants fear the worst as Supreme Court allows raids to resume Monday’s Supreme Court order gives the go-ahead on what critics called “indiscriminate” immigration stops that led to thousands of arrests and set off days of protests in the Los Angeles area.

It’s been more than 100 days since ICE began indiscriminately targeting workers and tearing families apart in LA.

As the Trump admin escalates these raids nationwide – it’s up to all of us to speak out, fight back, and protect our immigrant neighbors.
www.latimes.com/california/s...

Government shuts down after Congress fails to reach a funding agreement Much of the federal government is now shut down after Republicans and Democrats in the Senate failed to agree on a funding plan to keep the government open.

The gutting of healthcare, essential food services, and complete disregard of workers while ICE and the military is beefed up will be felt most in our towns, cities, and localities. Our communities deserve better. www.npr.org/2025/10/01/n...

Trump administration pulls millions in funding from Chicago Public Schools The school district is reviewing whether it will maintain the magnet programs it intended to fund with a federal grant that the Trump administration says will be canceled.

While the Trump admin deploys federal troops to more cities, the administration is still fighting to claw back funding from public schools across the country.

In Chicago, schools will lose access to magnet programs without any due process or recourse.
www.wbez.org/education/20...

Trump’s deployment of troops to Portland is a dangerous escalation of authoritarianism. Now is the time to find our own ways of standing up and fighting back to preserve our democracy. Fellow vets: we need you to muster. And those serving: you can refuse an unlawful order as you may receive it.

3 things to know about Trump's plan to send troops to Portland and Memphis President Trump ordered the deployment of troops to Portland and said he's authorized them to use "full force" to curb protests outside of ICE facilities.

LA, DC, Chicago, Baltimore, Memphis, and now Portland.

The Trump admin is deliberately terrorizing our communities — ripping our immigrant neighbors from their families, putting unhoused people behind bars, & making all of us less safe.
www.npr.org/2025/09/29/n...

Today we passed Intro 621, the first bill in my #NoLockouts Act.

Illegal lockouts are harassment. With this bill, tenants can fight back and landlords will be held accountable!

Graphic that has a US map and reads "11 localities have taken action against algorithmic rental price fixing." On the map, 11 localities are marked as having passed a ban (Seattle, King County, Berkeley, San Francisco, Santa Monica, San Diego, Minneapolis, Providence, Hoboken, Jersey City, Philadelphia), 3 as exploring one (Portland, San Jose, and Chicago) and 2 as having passed a resolution to voice opposition (Nashville and Missoula)

King County is now the 11th locality in the country to do so, and the most populous locality so far.

Banning algorithmic rental price fixing is one way localities can protect renters in their jurisdiction from corporate greed.

Learn more here: localprogress.org/issues/housi...

King County Council bans rent-setting software, like RealPage The King County Council banned algorithmic rent fixing, but landlords see possible pitfalls in the way the ordinance is written.

King County just banned algorithmic rental price fixing! 🔥

“We don’t want there to be any technological tool that basically replaces dark, smoky backrooms where these deals are taking place." - @cmtmosqueda.bsky.social

www.seattletimes.com/business/rea...

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.

More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

A large group of people posing for picture together inside a restaurant

Local Progress is growing in Western PA!

Thanks to all of our members and partners who came out to our Western Pennsylvania meetup last week. Gatherings like these help strengthen bonds between local officials and build networks of support across the state.

More to come soon in PA!

Across our network, our members are proudly putting their bodies on the line for our immigrant neighbors.

While the federal government continues it's campaign of hate against immigrant communities, Local Progress members will always stand up for the dignity of everyone.

These Are the 15 New York Officials ICE and NYPD Arrested in Manhattan More than a dozen elected officials were arrested in or around 26 Federal Plaza in New York City, where ICE detains people in what courts have ruled are unsanitary conditions.

Last week, @cmalexaaviles.bsky.social, @tiffanycaban.bsky.social, @cmsandynurse.bsky.social, & @nyccomptroller.bsky.social were arrested protesting the conditions at 26 Federal Plaza.

Immigrants have been detained there for weeks with no access to basic necessities.
www.wired.com/story/ice-ma...

When NYC raised the minimum wage for deliveristas in April, grocery delivery workers were left out of this historic wage increase.

By rectifying this oversight, NYC Council Members are showing how local power can be used to strengthen worker power ✊

t.co/NNCvmeytV7

ICE’s lawless rampage across our communities hurts our neighbors, our small businesses, and our local authority.

With this new ordinance, San Diego is showing local leaders can take action to limit the powers of ICE’s rouge federal agents.
fox5sandiego.com/news/san-die...

This week's SCOTUS decision allows ICE to conduct immigration patrols based on appearance, increasing uncertainty and fear for Latino immigrants.

DC is not the president's playground - its residents deserve a say in how they are governed just like the residents of other city across the country.

These proposals represent an egregious overreach of federal authority and must be blocked from ever becoming law.

Congress eyes more than a dozen bills taking direct aim at D.C. and home rule While the crime emergency in D.C. is set to expire this week, there is no end in sight to the surge in federal law enforcement officers in D.C. and deployment of the National Guard on D.C. streets But...

While federal troops still occupy the streets of DC, Congress is looking at a new set of bills aimed at undermining the city's home rule, further criminalizing our unhoused neighbors, and rewriting the city's criminal justice code.

This is a hostile takeover.
www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/c...

Congress can rectify the Supreme Court’s mistakes just as it’s done time and time again.

Our members refuse to submit to the racists directives of ICE. They will continue to protect and stand up for our immigrant communities.

This is not the end of our fight for justice.

In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was not entitled to constitutional rights because he was not an American citizen.

Almost a decade later, Congress rectified this horrendous decision to ensure everyone born in this nation was endowed with full and equal rights.

From L.A. to NYC: Immigrant Communities Brace After Supreme Court Rulings - Documented On Monday, in a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court gave immigration agents the green light to resume “roving patrols” in Los Angeles based on appearance, language or type of work. Both a federal court...

In the coming days, our members will feel the full brunt of SCOTUS’ legalization of racial profiling. Our members have already seen the fear caused by masked agents roving the streets & snatching neighbors.

Just because SCOTUS says it’s legal doesn’t make it right.
documentedny.com/2025/09/10/s...

How Local Leaders are Protecting Communities Under Trump - Local Progress In the face of relentless federal attacks, localities nationwide are fighting back and publicly affirming their commitment to protecting immigrants.

In the face of relentless federal attacks, localities nationwide are fighting back & publicly affirming their commitment to protecting newcomers.
@localprogress.bsky.social is sharing examples of how communities across the country are protecting their residents👇

A group of people smiling and posing for a photo

Then in Syracuse, members of our state’s OC came together for our yearly retreat to discuss priorities for 2026. New York was hit hard by the cuts in the OBBB and our chapter is laser focused on ensuring local officials’ voices are heard when budget decisions are being made. More to come soon!