What is transpiring on the streets of Chicago should alarm every citizen who believes in the rule of law and the promise of the American ideal. The Chicago Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA) condemns the unprecedented and chilling actions of federal immigration agents who engaged in a public spectacle of racial profiling, patrolling our city and detaining individuals based explicitly on “how they look.”

This is not just a Chicago issue; it is a national crisis. When a top U.S. Border Patrol official openly states that agents use physical characteristics to determine who is “American” enough to walk free, it shreds the very fabric of our constitutional rights. The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on this practice in California has now greenlit a dangerous new precedent, and it is being tested on the streets of a major American city. The sight of armed, masked agents in military fatigues roaming past iconic American landmarks is a calculated act of intimidation designed to instill fear.

The impact of this state-sanctioned intimidation is felt most acutely in our schools. As the leaders of Chicago’s public schools, we witness firsthand the trauma this inflicts on our children. Students are terrified. Families are living in fear. The safe and inclusive environments our educators work so hard to build are being poisoned by policies that tell our children they are not safe because of their skin color, their language, or their heritage. An attack on the dignity of our students and families is an attack on the future of our nation.

The CPAA stands in solidarity with the Principals and Administrators of Chicago Public Schools as they courageously lead through this manufactured crisis. We stand with every educator, staff member, student, and family who is now questioning their place in this country. We issue a call to our colleagues in school districts across the United States: be vigilant. The "Operation At Large" campaign has declared its intent to operate "anywhere in Illinois," and if it is allowed to stand, no community in America is safe from this same brand of institutionalized discrimination.

We call upon national leaders from both parties to denounce this erosion of our core values. We urge the national media to continue reporting on the profound human and constitutional cost of these actions.

To the nation, we say: The classrooms of Chicago are a microcosm of America itself with a beautiful tapestry of diverse backgrounds and stories. We will not allow that tapestry to be torn apart by fear and profiling. Our association remains unwavering in its commitment to protect our school communities, to defend their right to learn and live without fear, and to advocate for an America that lives up to its promise of justice for all.

Sincerely,

Kia R. Banks
President
Chicago Principals and Administrators Association