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“We are under attack by our own federal government,” says Democratic Congressmember for Illinois Delia Ramirez about Trump’s immigration crackdown in Chicago. “What we’re seeing is an agency that has gone rogue, that has been emboldened and that thinks that they’re above the law.” She urges Americans to report and record ICE activity to strengthen future legal battles, “because what ICE is stating and what we’re seeing in the community in the streets is inconsistent.” Congressmember Ramirez also comments on the ongoing federal government shutdown, which she calls “a clear embodiment of Donald Trump’s leadership: starve and let people die while the billionaires and his cronies enrich themselves,” the Republican leadership’s continued refusal to swear in new Democratic Congressmember-elect Adelita Grijalva, and the Trump-backed Gaza ceasefire.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: A federal judge in Chicago questioned federal immigration authorities Monday about continuing to fire tear gas at protesters and journalists despite her previous court order. U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis ordered the government to preserve all video evidence of federal agents firing tear gas and pepper balls during protests against Trump’s escalating immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.
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In one of the most dramatic instances, a masked ICE officer was filmed shooting a Chicago pastor in the head with a pepper ball while he prayed outside the Broadview ICE facility. The priest, David Black, is now part of a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
Over the weekend, more than a quarter of a million people rallied in Chicago for the “No Kings” protest. The rally stretched for two miles. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson called for a general strike.
MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON: Donald Trump is using ICE as his private militarized occupying force. The only other entities that are funded greater than ICE are the United States military and China’s military. But we are saying emphatically clear: We do not want troops in our city. We will not allow our cities to be occupied. So, here’s what we need to do in this moment. If my ancestors, as slaves, can lead the greatest general strike in the history of this country, taking it to the ultra-rich and big corporations, we can do the same today.
AMY GOODMAN: The No Kings protests came a day after the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the deployment of the National Guard in the Chicago area. Other speakers at Saturday’s No Kings protests included Democratic Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, whose district includes Chicago.
REP. DELIA RAMIREZ: They want to normalize violence. They want to normalize cruelty.