President Preckwinkle Urges Washington to Change Policy on ICE Arrests in Courthouses

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Business

Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Business

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle called on the Trump administration and members of Congress to advocate against civil immigration arrests in courthouses, which pose a threat to public safety. “I was disheartened last week to see the temporary and wrongful detention of a DREAMer — a rule-abiding beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals order. Christian Gomez Garcia, who came to the U.S. as a small child nearly 25 years ago and has been a DACA recipient since 2012, was subjected to detention that began with an arrest at the Skokie courthouse. I support DREAMers and urge lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to come together and pass common-sense legislation to protect them and provide them with a pathway to citizenship,” said Preckwinkle. Last month, the Trump administration issued new guidance directing immigration officers to make civil arrests in courthouses and claimed it would improve public safety. Last week, a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections was wrongfully detained at the Cook County courthouse in Skokie when he appeared for a minor traffic violation. President Preckwinkle issued a proclamation urging federal officials to designate courthouses as “sensitive locations,” a designation already applied to schools, hospitals and places of worship. This designation would encourage Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from making civil arrests at these locations.

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