ICE Threatens Pivot to Sanctuary Cities

July 27, 2025

Following an attack on CBP personnel in New York City last week, ICE czar Tom Homan announced that Sanctuary cities would be the agency’s new priority. “We’re going to flood the zone,” he warned. 

But Sanctuary Cities have not been spared in the agency’s intensive raids across the country. Los Angeles, a sanctuary city with a record of pro-immigrant legislation, has been “flooded“ already with thousands of soldiers still actively suppressing popular resistance to the mass disappearances. The consequences have been disturbing, entire neighborhoods transformed into ghost towns as even economists warn of stark downturns for small businesses and a rapidly shrinking labor market.

While the federal government hasn’t yet sent troops to the streets of Chicago, its ICE agents continue to carry out the mass removal policy: by weaponizing routine immigration check-ins, thousands of migrant workers have been lured and entrapped even as they attempt to comply with visa regulations, only to be detained and deported. 

As a Sanctuary City, Chicago’s authorities have committed not to aid in immigration enforcement. Since sanctuary legislation still technically allows ICE and DHS to operate unimpeded, it is in many ways only a moderate curb against a fundamentally inhumane policy. The difference made by even a minor deterrent is stark, however, when compared with enforcement tactics in non-sanctuary regions. In Texas, detainment numbers are soaring from discretionary traffic stops. In Florida, state’s political leadership has set aside millions for massive concentration camps where detainees are exposed to the elements without sufficient food or water.

Even before this administration, discriminatory immigration policies have posed immense challenges for workers rights, and graduate labor has been no exception. Today we confront the same historical challenge, but with rapidly rising stakes. Since international workers face intensifying surveillance and political restrictions, the prospect of unionization will appear ever riskier. The result is a divided bargaining unit, lower wages and poorer living conditions for everyone - regardless of citizenship status. Win or lose, all of our fates are tied together.

Our priority should be bridging divides within the bargaining unit by strengthening the union‘s capacity to improve everyone’s quality of life: especially when it comes to wages and job security. We’ve previously proposed a Memorandum of Understanding to the university, which would commit them to a variety of supportive measures to protect our community. Administration has refused to bargain on the question, insisting that they are already doing enough to protect international workers. But there are meaningful practices that the university has not yet agreed to that would immediately improve conditions if implemented.  For example, the administration should notify the Union immediately in the case of any lapse of immigration status, raid, audit, or information request from immigration enforcement. We’ll be meeting to refine these demands and strategy at this Wednesday 7/30 at 5pm, we hope you’ll join us! RSVP here.