“Emmanuel had previously served as Chief of Staff in the Obama administration. DACA was one of President Obama’s signature policies…”
President Donald Trump is not welcome in Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emmanuel has declared Chicago a “Trump free zone”, and has promised the city’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) residents that the local government will continue to provide them services. Addressing Dreamers directly, Emmanuel said “you are welcome in the city of Chicago. This is your home and you have nothing to worry about.”
Many cities have declared themselves “safe havens” for undocumented migrants, drawing the ire of the Trump administration and conservatives. However, cities are quite limited in the protection they can offer and certainly can’t provide true, legal “sanctuary”. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE as it is commonly called, is a federal agency and is not beholden to local city governments.
The Trump administration has hit back against sanctuary cities, requiring immigration policy enforcement for any cities seeking new law enforcement grants. Among other things, the Trump administration has demanded that cities grant access to prison inmates. Cities must also give federal authorities a 48 hour heads up if they are set to release a person of interest.
Certainly, cooperation between ICE and local authorities will make it easier for the federal agency to carry out its duties. Some local governments and legal authorities have been quick to turn over people suspected of being undocumented migrants. Safe haven cities, however, have often explicitly banned local police forces and authorities from pro-actively working with ICE.
In 2016 Emmanuel’s approval rating dipped below 20% but has since recovered to 44%.
Emmanuel had previously served as Chief of Staff in the Obama administration. DACA was one of President Obama’s signature policies, and amounted to the largest overhaul of immigration policies in recent memory. However, many accused then-President Obama of overstepping his Constitutional authority, arguing that immigration should be left to Congress.
Emmanuel is descendant from Jewish immigrants, and will face reelection in 2019, if he choses to run for a third term. The mayor has been beset by controversy and low approval ratings. In 2016 Emmanuel’s approval rating dipped below 20% but has since recovered to 44%.
As a city, Chicago has never been fond of President Trump. During the 2016 Presidential election, Hillary Clinton locked up over 55% of the Illinous popular vote while Trump failed to crack 40%. Trump won the vast majority of Illinois’s rural districts, but failed to win over urban voters in Chicago and other large cities across the state.
Trump hasn’t visited Chicago yet as President, with most of his in-country trips focusing instead on conservative states and cities. The Chicago Cubs, however, did visit the President in the White House following their World Series victory. The five star Trump International Hotel and Tower is located in downtown Chicago as well.
