Transcript
A (0:00)
What's playing out right now in Charlotte, North Carolina, is following a script that's become familiar. Federal agents flood into cities for massive enforcement sweeps. Videos pop up on social media showing masked agents in unmarked cars arresting people who appear to be going about their daily lives. Local elected officials loudly object, but the raids continue. The Trump administration says this is about enforcing the law against people in the country illegally. Here's Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month.
B (0:32)
They are on the books. They were put in place, voted on and instituted, and therefore we enforce them all. If members of Congress, senators, governors, don't like the law, then they should go through the work of changing them.
A (0:44)
Even though these raids are happening in local communities, immigration law sits squarely within the jurisdiction of the federal government. You could hear that tension in my interview with Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California this summer. This was in the midst of a federal immigration crackdown in Los Angeles. Newsom condemned the raids, but he also said this. We do not impede upon federal authority to enforce federal law with federal resources.
C (1:09)
Period.
A (1:09)
Full stop. That's the state of California. Without the authority to stop the immigration operations. State and local politicians have tried to limit their impact in other ways. California passed a state law that bans most law enforcement officers from wearing masks. The Trump administration has sued to block it. In Illinois, Democratic Governor J.B. pritzker established an accountability committee mission to document alleged abuses by federal immigration authorities.
D (1:36)
There will come a time where people of good faith are empowered to uphold the law. When the time comes, Illinois will have the testimony and the records needed to pursue justice to its fullest extent.
A (1:51)
Other politicians have focused on preparing their communities. Here's Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley, whose district includes parts of Chicago.
E (1:58)
What we can do is tell people what's happening. My office has created an immigration protection kit, making sure people have completed privacy release forms so that our staff can assist them. We also can find information about finding friends and family who might have been detained.
A (2:17)