Illinois: It's Time to Build Power, Not Fear

For the past year, Illinois has been in the crosshairs of the federal government’s escalating threats and attacks. Washington frames these measures as pathways to “restore safety,” pointing to undocumented immigrants with criminal records as justification. National Guard deployment was threatened as a solution to violence, signaling force instead of evidence-based solutions.

But here in Chicago, and across Illinois, we know the truth. Safety does not come from militarization or raids. We saw this firsthand this week when federal agents stormed Black communities, unlawfully detaining families in the dead of night. What they frame as an operation to ensure safety instead created terror. Children were ripped away from their parents, elders were treated as threats, and households were left in turmoil. These raids did not interrupt violence; they were violent. The raids eroded public trust and created chaos in neighborhoods already carrying the weight of systemic neglect. The result was a reminder that Black families too often bear the brunt of racist policing practices. Safety comes from strong communities, from well-resourced schools and health clinics to affordable housing. What the federal government calls “law and order” is nothing more than political theater designed to divide us and keep us afraid.

And let’s be clear: this is not just a Chicago problem. ICE raids, militarized police, deportations, and federal cuts to services and schools are not contained within Chicago’s city limits. Suburbs, rural communities, and small towns across Illinois are experiencing the same fear but with even fewer resources to fight back. This means that our defense must be statewide, rooted in solidarity from Carbondale to Rockford, not just concentrated in Chicago.

This moment demands that we build Black political power to not only protect Black communities and stand in solidarity with our neighbors, but that we also set forth a visionary agenda to strengthen Black communities. For nearly two years, IBAI has worked alongside Black-led organizations across the state to develop strategies for building collective power. What began with deep relationship-building has grown into shared strategies, common vision, and bold action. Together, we are positioned to move from defense to offense – to not only respond to attacks, but to shape the future. By coordinating across Illinois, we are strengthening base-building organizations and ensuring that state and local budgets and policies reflect the priorities of Black communities.

The narratives being pushed from Washington are designed to pit us against each other. But make no mistake, Black immigrants, who are often rendered invisible in political debates, face the double burden of anti-Black racism and xenophobia. Our communities cannot thrive under constant fear, surveillance, and disinvestment. They scapegoat immigrants, criminalize Blackness, and distract from the truth: poverty, gun violence, and community instability are the direct results of systemic neglect. We know better. We know that our liberation is tied together—that when one community is under attack, all of us are.

So the question before us is urgent: Will we miss this opportunity, or will we rise to it? This is the moment to build lasting Black political power across Illinois. This is the time to develop both short-term protections and long-term demands that ensure our people are thriving, not just surviving. This means organizing in every corner of the state.

We will not let this moment pass. The threats are real—but so is our power. We are mounting a statewide defense that not only protects the most marginalized among us, but also lays the groundwork for an Illinois where Black people, immigrants, and all working-class communities are able to live free, safe, and thriving lives.

The time to act is now. And the choice is ours.