Online ID application service for undocumented immigrants in Chicago placed on hold following subpoena by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Title: The Border Crisis Transforms into a 'Backyard Crisis' in Chicago, Says Official
In a candid discussion on 'America Reports,' Alderman Raymond Lopez decried the reluctance of Illinois lawmakers to align with President Trump's deportation objectives and addressed the escalating border crisis.
Recently, Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia suspended the digital means of obtaining CityKey IDs following a subpoena from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
As the Trump administration endeavors to deport an exceptional number of unauthorized immigrants granted entry during the Biden administration, they face resistance from local officials. Leaders of predominantly Democratic cities such as Chicago are some of the most vocal about guarding unauthorized immigrants from deportation.
Valencia relayed on Friday that her office would momentarily disable the CityKey online portal, as shared by the Chicago Tribune. CityKeys serve as a local government-issued identity card accessible to Chicago residents irrespective of their immigration status, gender identity, or criminal history. Valencia's decision to halt the online application portal came after ICE requested information from noncitizens, aiming to track down illegal immigrants.
The Chicago Tribune pointed out that when the municipal ID program was initially introduced in 2017, it was intended to bypass public records law and shield personal information by only processing applications in-person[3].
However, as the immigration surge intensified in subsequent years, the city introduced an online portal for application processing; paperwork that the office isn't legally authorized to destroy under public records law[3].
Responding to the worries of advocates fretting that online records retained by ICE could jeopardize individual privacy, Valencia temporarily halted that part of the program[4].
"We did hear, 'Let's pause the online platform temporarily as we take a pulse and evaluate what's happening.' We'll assess what's happening daily and determine the climate, and if we feel we're in a different place, we can quickly restart the online platform, but we aren't going anywhere," Valencia expressed to the Tribune[4].
In May 2024, the City Council approved a new amendment to the municipal code, stipulating, "Information provided by Applicants utilizing the online platform to obtain a City of Chicago ID will be preserved."
"Listen, I've always been transparent, honest, and led with integrity," Valencia reiterated to the Tribune, referring to online warnings regarding records retention. "I know there's a lot of fear out there, so I want to clarify that we're going to contest sharing any data with the federal government... No data was provided to ICE, point blank, zero, for the CityKey."
The complications stemming from ICE's administrative subpoena and the city's refusal to comply have raised significant legal questions[1][3]. If ICE renews its demand with a court order, Chicago may face a legal confrontation[1].
Unfortunately, ICE and Valencia didn't respond to a request for additional comment.
Sources: 1. Mundo Hispanico 2. Chicago Tribune 3. WBEZ Chicago 4. Chicago Sun-Times 5. American Immigration Council
- The reluctance of Illinois lawmakers to align with President Trump's deportation objectives, as well as the resistance from local officials like Chicago's City Clerk Anna Valencia, is a clear demonstration of politics at play in the immigration debate.
- In the context of the ongoing border crisis and President Trump's administration's efforts to deport unauthorized immigrants, general-news outlets have reported on the vocal opposition from leaders of predominantly Democratic cities, such as Chicago, who aim to protect these individuals from deportation.
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