Ald. Manaa-Hoppenworth Co-Sponsors Resolution Honoring Rapid Response Volunteers
Alderwoman Manaa-Hoppenworth cosponsored a December 2025 resolution honoring the many volunteers in Chicago who have organized at the community level to defend their neighbors from ICE. The resolution acknowledges that immigration agents have detained thousands of Chicagoans without warrant or probably cause, affirms the first amendment rights of protestors and activists, and thanks rapid response volunteers for their “incredible courage and integrity in the face of intimidation and brutality.” Read the full resolution below.
December 10, 2025
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, immigration agents have detained thousands of Chicagoans since January 2025, a significant majority of whom had no known criminal convictions or pending charges, and many of whom were arrested without a warrant or probable cause, and were instead targeted based on the color of their skin, the languages they spoke, and the jobs they performed; and
WHEREAS, neighbors across Chicijgo responded to these atrocities by organizing themselves into neighborhood-level rapid response networks to inform neighbors of their rights, patrol their neighborhoods for Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement (OHS/ICE) presence, and warn neighbors of OHS/ICE activity in their community; and
WHEREAS, in many cases, the presence of these neighbors prevented innocent Chicagoans from being abducted without cause and in other cases were the reason that loved ones knew that their friend or family member had been abducted and had support in locating them; and
WHEREAS, federal agents responded to these efforts with brutal force, tear gassing neighborhoods, crashing into vehicles, shooting one community member, detaining others who were engaging in their civil right to document and record law enforcement, targeting journalists, and threatening protestors exercising their first amendment rights with legal action; and
WHEREAS, rapid responders, undaunted by this show of force, continued to show up on street corners, at schools, on bikes and in vehicles, armed only with whistles, to act as witnesses to their neighbors being unconstitutionally abducted by their federal government; and
WHEREAS, without their dedication and bravery, we would not have the breadth of documentation of the cruelty of our federal government and potential collusion of other state and local governments in aiding in this cruelty; and,
WHEREAS, Chicagoans are also exercising their first amendment rights on the streets and at OHS/ICE facilities opposing this cruelty, running errands for neighbors who fear leaving their homes lest they be targeted, accompanying people to and witnessing immigration court proceedings, and fundraising for basic needs for families that have been separated from their loved ones; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago owes a debt of gratitude to these community members who put their safety on the line to protect our neighbors and stand up to facism, and continue to organize to ensure that we are prepared for future assaults on our city by the federal government; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO that we, the Mayor and members of the Chicago City Council, assembled here on this 10th day of December, 2025, do hereby recognize and honor these volunteers who have demonstrated incredible courage and integrity in the face of intimidation and brutality, and pledge to support their efforts in whatever capacity is possible within our jurisdictional control in protecting our City from further violence on the part of the federal government.
Access more details about this resolution here.