I Demanded My City Council Protect Our Neighbors from ICE

When the federal government fails, our local leaders must step up — and so must we

This week, I spoke to my city council on the need to protect our residents from ICE fascists. While the federal government has abandoned its responsibility to uphold due process of law—we here in my hometown of Naperville have the power to do so. As a local community we have organized to call upon Naperville to do what Washington won’t: guarantee constitutional protections for every person in this city, regardless of status. I and dozens of my neighbors worked together to make this case. Now they have to act. Naperville has led before and it is time for us to do it again.

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Watch me address my city council:

I share these remarks to encourage you all to take on similar roles in your own communities. We must be active participants in our democracy—not passive bystanders. Find your city council members. Show up to meetings. Call their offices. Write to them. Demand that they use every tool available to protect the people in your community from unconstitutional abuse. Justice right now has to come from all of us.

Qasim Rashid is a human rights attorney, author, and host of Let’s Address This, a platform dedicated to human rights and social justice. Subscribe for more.