Early this morning, we celebrated a major victory for immigrant rights and community safety in Illinois.

Thanks to the tireless organizing by JCUA and our ICIRR coalition partners over the last few weeks, lawmakers in Springfield passed the Safety and Action for Liberation Together (S.A.L.T.) platform, which will:

• Bar civil arrests by ICE and other law enforcement agencies at our state’s courthouses
• Provide guidance for all hospitals in Illinois to protect patients and staff from ICE and other law enforcement actions inside their buildings
• Expand Safe Schools protections to include early childhood and higher education spaces
• Give Illinois residents the right to sue federal agencies for unlawful arrests and detention

The legislation now heads to Governor Pritzker’s desk. Once signed, these protections will make Illinois a safer home for all who live here.

As we celebrate this important legislative victory, we’re also seeing our condemnation of ICE resonate beyond Springfield.

Earlier this week, on the floor of Congress, Senator Dick Durbin read from the Jewish clergy letter that JCUA wrote with RAC-IL — signed by more than 100 rabbis and cantors from across Illinois — and entered it into the Congressional Record.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, and we know our work is not finished as ICE continues its campaign of fear and repression across Illinois. JCUA will keep organizing to protect our neighbors, defend our shared freedoms, and build a Chicago where all of us can live with safety and dignity.

To everyone who has stepped up and taken action in so many ways over these past weeks: thank you! We know that we keep us safe, and we are deeply grateful to be in community with all of you who are meeting this moment.