Latest news with #25thWard
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Chicago officials raise concerns over federal immigration raids in Pilsen
CHICAGO (WGN) — Chicago public officials are raising concerns about whether warrants are being issued and due process is being followed after apparent federal immigration raids in Pilsen. The arresting video, viral on social media, captured what's believed to be federal law enforcement taking two people into custody Monday morning in Pilsen. On Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson questioned the legality of the arrests and whether warrants had been issued before the raid. PREVIOUS: 'These incidents that are happening around the country, they're disturbing,' Johnson said. 'You know the 5th and 14th Amendments have laid out a due process, and I believe that it's important that we hold the constitutionality of our nation's laws.' Chicago Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) confirmed that the men detained are Mexican citizens and confirmed an online post on June 3 that when agents showed up in Little Village again on Tuesday, activists chased them away. 'We are right now investigating the reason why those neighbors have been detained without a warrant,' Sigcho-Lopez said. Addressing the incident, Beatrice Ponce de León, deputy mayor of immigrant, migrant, and refugee rights for the City of Chicago, said that due process is a right that all individuals have. 'We should be able to maintain that in this country,' Ponce de León said. The head of Chicago's immigrant rights office added that the intermittent raids are having a chilling effect on business and life in predominantly immigrant communities in Chicago, such as 26th Street in Little Village, which is among the top sales tax corridors in the city. 'This is bringing instability, bringing fear, uncertainty into communities, and people are starting to react and perhaps, go back into the shadows and not be able to go freely to work or send their children to school,' Ponce de León added. Johnson said he remains troubled by news of interactions, encounters, or alleged raids that do not adhere to the rule of law. 'That's not the type of nation that we've worked hard to secure,' the mayor said. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Illinois Congressman Jesus 'Chuy' García's office is now looking into Monday's arrests due to questions of warrants and due process. Congressman Garcia's office tells me it is not getting any cooperation from federal agencies about Monday's arrests. The city has established a website for individuals with questions regarding current immigration issues. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds ask for ex-Chicago alderman's criminal case to be dismissed
The Brief Federal prosecutors asked a court to dismiss a criminal case against former Chicago Ald. Danny Solis. It was part of an agreement to drop the case in exchange for Solis' cooperation with other corruption cases against powerful politicians. Solis' cooperation was key in the successful prosecutions of ex-Ald. Ed Burke and ex-Speaker Michael Madigan. CHICAGO - Federal prosecutors asked for a criminal case against former Chicago Ald. Danny Solis to be dismissed after his cooperation with investigations into two powerful political figures. What we know The Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois filed a motion to dismiss the information against Solis, accusing him of accepting campaign contributions in exchange for his actions as a member of the City Council representing the 25th Ward, according to court documents. The U.S. Attorney's Office agreed to defer prosecution of Solis in exchange for his help with investigations into former Ald. Ed Burke and former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. The backstory Burke was found guilty in December 2023 in his corruption trial of using his power on the City Council to solicit business for his private law firm. Madigan was found guilty of multiple crimes in his own corruption case earlier this year in which he was accused of using his powerful roles leading the state House of Representatives and Democratic Party to garner benefits for himself and allies. Solis was the government's star witness in Madigan's trial and revealed he wore a wire to secretly record conversations with the then-speaker as part of the investigation. Madigan is facing his sentencing in June. Burke is already in prison. What's next Prosecutors asked for a court hearing on the matter later this month.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chicago mayor's office facing backlash after allegedly attempting to censor City Council meeting video
The Brief The mayor's office is accused of attempting to censor video footage from a controversial City Council meeting about censorship. A video of the meeting, featuring a chaotic exchange between aldermen over controversial artwork, was taken down and later restored by City Clerk Anna Valencia. A mayoral staffer allegedly requested edits to the video, prompting concerns about transparency, which Valencia later addressed by re-uploading it. CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's office is under fire for allegedly trying to censor video of a contentious City Council meeting. What we know The mayor's office is facing accusations of trying to censor a meeting about censorship. This comes after City Clerk Anna Valencia said a video of the meeting was improperly removed from public view. The video in question shows Tuesday's City Council hearing on controversial artwork at the Cultural Center. The meeting turned chaotic when 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez appeared to call 34th Ward Ald. Bill Conway a "white supremacist." This followed a heated debate over controversial artwork at the Cultural Center, which some aldermen have condemned as anti-Semitic. Conway and Sigcho-Lopez were arguing over Sigcho-Lopez's involvement in a protest before the DNC that included a burned American flag. After a few moments, 41st Ward Ald. Anthony Napolitano and 38th Ward Ald. Nick Sposato called out Sigcho-Lopez for his remarks and removed him from the meeting. "You gotta go," shouted Sposato. "You can't call someone a white supremacist. You gotta go." Videos of all City Council proceedings are posted on the City Clerk's website. But last night, the video of Tuesday's hearing was missing. Valencia said a mayoral staffer improperly contacted her office, asking a staff member to edit the video. The clerk's office employee declined, instead removing the video entirely. What they're saying Valencia stated she did not approve the removal and restored the video on Wednesday. "I am, always have been, and always will be, committed to building transparency and trust with our residents, and will ensure this does not happen again," Valencia said in a statement. "We are here as public servants to ensure our residents have complete access to their government and as long as I am here, that will remain." As soon as the meeting recessed, Sigcho-Lopez and Conway went into a private room with top mayoral advisor Jason Lee to clear the air. The backstory Thirty people spoke about an art exhibit at Chicago's Special Events committee meeting this week. The piece is controversial, and 27 council members have already called for its removal. The protest puppet is in the Chicago Cultural Center. It portrays Uncle Sam and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as murderers, calling out U-S support of Israel's involvement in Gaza. The exhibit was titled "U.S.-Israel War Machine." The alderpersons signed a letter calling on leaders to remove it because it was offensive. Some members of the public agreed with calls to remove the artwork. "As a citizen of Chicago, this is dangerous for my community. It is harmful and it is not something that should be displayed in a public building. Bigotry like this actively harms the Jewish community, which has a large presence in Chicago," a representative from the American Jewish Committee said. The other side Others said that censorship of public art is not something that Chicago's elected officials should get involved in. "To hear that there has been such an uproar about this puppet is shocking and honestly, a waste of everyone here's time," one resident said. "The demand to remove this puppet sets a dangerous precedent that Chicago elected officials can dictate which artwork is allowed to be displayed in our city and which is not, based on whether they agree with the artist's politics. As a proud member of Chicago's Jewish community, I urge you to spend your time actually governing our city." Changes were made to the display. Officials added a warning that the exhibition contains sensitive content. READ MORE HERE The Source FOX 32's Paris Schutz reported on this story.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City Council hearing on controversial art devolves into shouting, name-calling
CHICAGO — A City Council committee meeting called to discuss a controversial piece of art at the Chicago Cultural Center devolved Tuesday into a shouting match between aldermen and the ordered removal of one of them before he left on his own accord. The boiling point came more than two hours into the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation hearing on a piece called 'US-Israel War Machine' when Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) invoked white supremacy during debate. Sigcho-Lopez later denied using the term to describe Ald. Bill Conway (34th Ward), who'd just finished speaking and expressed regret that it became part of the conversation. 'Things got heated in there. We talked about it behind closed doors,' Conway told WGN after the dust-up. 'He apologized and said that those remarks were not directed towards me. I have no desire to — I appreciate him doing that. I have no desire escalate this any further.' Sigcho-Lopez's larger exception to the hearing was the council's step into matters of potential censorship in discussing a process to approve public art in city-owned spaces. 'Now we going to develop a process where aldermen can now go and give an opinion about every single piece of art? It's a disgrace that we have this conversation today in the City of Chicago,' he said. Tuesday's meeting was called after a majority of the city's alders signed onto a letter demanding the removal of the large, two-sided puppet at the cultural center that depicts Uncle Sam on one side and Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on the other. The 27 signees called the piece, which includes messages critical of the United States and Israel for Palestinian deaths in the Israel-Hamas conflict, 'antisemitic.' Clinée Hedspeth, the commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and exhibition curator Grace Needlman were called to respond to the process of approving art. 'The intention of the exhibition was to celebrate the incredible range of puppets being made here in Chicago,' Needlman told those in attendance. The puppet is part of a wider exhibition at the Cultural Center, the selection of which prompted Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th Ward), the council's only Jewish member, to call for the hearing. 'If someone submitted a puppet of Mayor Johnson with his hands covered in blood protesting removal of ShotSpotter, would that be displayed?' she asked. The mayor addressed the art at a separate press conference Tuesday. 'I think it's important, particularly at a time when history and culture is being threatened and undermined that we don't find ourselves exacerbating the attempt to silence the voices of individuals that speak their truth through their lived experiences,' he said. Tuesday's hearing was informational only. No votes were taken nor any decisions made after the many hours of debate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
