FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 7, 2025
CONTACT:
Graciela González
Director of Communications
ggonzalez@latinopolicyforum.org
312-728-4291
Illinois Community and Government Leaders Deliver Powerful Message of Unity and Resistance in Springfield After Cruel and Gratuitous DHS Press Event
“[W]e will not be afraid, and we will not be silent… As you can see, [Secretary Noem’s] visit to our state has had the opposite effect. What started as a record-breaking convening of Latinos at the Illinois Capitol advocating to protect and strengthen sanctuary cities for Latino Unity Day, has ballooned to the coalition of allies you see here united in our resilience to protect immigrants in Illinois.“
SPRINGFIELD, IL — This morning, a broad and racially diverse group of Illinois community and government leaders gathered at the Illinois State Capitol to deliver a response to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who dropped in briefly to hold a press conference in Springfield where she purposely made false claims about sanctuary policies in Illinois and denigrated immigrants. In their response, leaders were clear and unequivocal about their unified support for Illinois’ immigrant community and lambasted Secretary Noem’s politically motivated and gratuitous stunt and Trump policies that threaten our democracy.
Today’s events also take place as nearly 1,000 Latinos and allies from across the state gather in Springfield for the 15th annual Latino Unity Day, the largest Latino advocacy event in the state, where attendees participate in advocacy, learn about issues impacting Latino communities in Illinois. This year’s event will address the challenges facing Illinois in light of unprecedented attacks from the federal government.
Leaders from community organizations throughout the state, labor, and representatives from the Black, Asian, and Latino caucuses showed their support and helped deliver an important message that hate has no home in Illinois and that they would unite to protect immigrants and everyone in Illinois.
Below are selected quotes from speakers who participated in today’s press conference.
Selected Quotes from Community Leaders
Linda X. Tortolero, President & CEO, Latino Policy Forum
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Secretary Noem chose to hold a press conference in Springfield on the very same day as Latino Unity Day, the largest Latino advocacy event in the state. Today and tomorrow, advocates from all over Illinois will gather to learn and advocate for policies that help Latino communities, and everyone in Illinois, to thrive. Her presence here today and her hateful rhetoric is an attempt to scare our community. But we will not be afraid, and we will not be silent… As you can see, her visit to our state has had the opposite effect. What started as a record-breaking convening of Latinos at the Illinois Capitol advocating to protect and strengthen sanctuary cities for Latino Unity Day, has ballooned to the coalition of allies you see here united in our resilience to protect immigrants in Illinois.”
Marcy Rodriguez, Co-Executive Director, Enlace Chicago & Co-Chair, Illinois Latino Agenda
“The federal government can stage political stunts in our state all it wants, but it won’t change who we are. In Illinois, being a welcoming state is not a soundbite, it’s a deeply held, bipartisan value rooted in what truly keeps people safe and what actually strengthens our economy. This morning, a dangerous and misleading narrative was shared, one that blames sanctuary policies for violence and seeks to portray immigrants as the cause of crime in our communities. Let’s be clear: this is false, reckless, and rooted in fear — not facts… Weaponizing isolated tragedies into a blanket judgment against entire communities isn’t leadership, it’s scapegoating. There is nothing more American than defending the dignity and rights of those being unjustly targeted. THAT is what solidarity means.”
Pat Devaney, Secretary Treasurer, Illinois AFL-CIO
“The Trump administration’s attack on immigrants are an attack on the foundational American promise. Something that my family benefitted from. Their raids on immigrant communities aren’t about public safety – they’re about creating fear and chaos and it’s cruel and something all Americans should reject. When immigrants are afraid to report workplace violations, all workers suffer from lower wages and dangerous conditions. In the labor movement has always understood that an injury to one is an injury to all. While the Trump administration scapegoats the most vulnerable and divides community, we’ve built a state where worker solidarity crosses every boundary regardless of where they were born. We believe that everyone deserves a shot in America and the American dream and a good job that can support their family. That’s what our country was built on and we will never stop fighting for it with you!”
Erendira Rendón, Vice President of Immigrant Justice, The Resurrection Project
“Secretary Noem is here today because Illinois is a state that allows residents like me, like my family, like the people we serve, to succeed… At The Resurrection Project we work with communities and we know that immigrants buy homes; immigrants invest in their neighborhoods; immigrants open up businesses; immigrants send their kids to school; immigrants are actually a big part of the fabric of our communities. And so we know that that is why the secretary is here. She is here, not to just say that we should be deported, but she is here to threaten our way of life and to threaten a state that is beautiful, because look at us!”
Veronica Castro, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
It feels good to be out here in community with you all and in the fight! This is a real reminder that we are not alone and that this is where our power comes from. This is why we’re a welcoming state, because our people, both immigrants and allies, have organized and made it a reality… Whether it’s Trump or Greg Abbott or Kristi Noem, they’re all trying to make us scared of one another and convince us and our elected leaders to comply in advance with their repressive deportation efforts. But let me be clear: in Illinois we fight back! That’s why we have the TRUST Act and Driver’s Licenses for All and why ICE detention centers are closed across the state. Because we fought back and we won. We are not going to let Trump and Noem pit us against one another and we are not going to back down from defending and protecting our immigrant communities. It is our commitment to work across communities to ensure our state is safe and welcoming for all people.”
Selected Quotes from State Government Leaders
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias
“The cruelty and hatred coming out of the Trump’s administration and people like Kristi Noem is heartbreaking for so many people around the country. So today, as you may have heard, is the REAL ID deadline that Kristi Noem’s department is supposed to be implementing a deadline that was meant to help make our country safer, our planes safer and to avoid terrorism, but instead has been used to weaponize this anger and to cause fear and terror across the country. We see it every day in the Secretary of State’s office. The people that are lined up for four and five hours to get a REAL ID, you know why? Because they think they’re going to be kicked out of the country. They’ve done nothing wrong… So, on a day when Kristi Noem should be doing her job and helping us with this REAL ID, she’s travelling the country doing political stops, publicity events, a vanity tour.”
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon
“I represent the 39th Senate district, a district as diverse as this collection of friends and legislators, but also contains some of the most established and vibrant Latino communities in our state. I’m honored to join you, not just in protest, but in power. We gather here to show our unity, our resilience and our love and support of our families and our future. There are those who choose to weaponize fear, to turn government agencies into engines of cruelty and hate. So many people have used that word ‘cruelty.’ This is cruelty for the sake of being cruel. Instead of doing their jobs, they are dividing our country and yet here we are gathered in unity. We stand together, working, dreaming, voting, winning. They struggle with walls; we succeed with bridges… We aren’t going anywhere. Our unity is our strength, our superpower. It is my honor and duty to stand with you here today.”
Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Emanuel Chris Welch
“In 2017 I was proud to stand and be the lead sponsor of the Illinois TRUST Act. There’s a great statue behind me of Abraham Lincoln, one of Illinois’s greatest sons. President Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘put your feet in the right place and then stand firm. I am honored to stand here today with this diverse coalition of people who stand firm behind the Illinois TRUST Act… The dystopian vision of Illinois that Secretary Noem outlined today bore no resemblance to the communities we represent here today. Just as the policies the Trump administration is pushing bear no resemblance to the America that we know… This is a state where hate has no home here, fear has no home here. They don’t know that in the Donald Trump/Noem administrations. They don’t know that we are proud of this diverse state that we live in. Diversity is our strength and our power comes from being united in our fight to make sure Illinois continues to be a welcoming state.”
Illinois State Senator Karina Villa (25th Dist.)
“I stand here today in the face of this Donald Trump administration who is attempting to make us kneel. Bend the knee. But what he does not know is that we will not. Not only will we not bend the knee, we will lift our heads high. We will stand in unity with our brothers and sisters and our allies. The state of Illinois, is and always will be, the safest place to raise your children, raise your families, get abortion, care, get rights for LGBTQIA+ community. We are going to pass criminal justice reform bills and stand by them. That is what we do in the state of Illinois. We are also going to protect our children. We’re gonna make them feel safe in our schools by passing HB 3247. We are going to unite and we are going to get that done. And we are here to tell you one thing, Noem: Go home!”
A recording of today’s entire press event is available via BlueRoomStream: LINK
###
About the Latino Policy Forum
The Latino Policy Forum is the only organization in the Chicago area that facilitates the involvement of Latinos at all levels of public decision-making. The Forum conducts analysis to inform, influence and lead. Its goals are to improve education outcomes, advocate for affordable housing, promote just immigration policies and engage diverse sectors of the community, with an understanding that advancing Latinos advances a shared future. For more information, visit latinopolicyforum.org.
About the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. Visit icirr.org for more information.