POLL: By a 2-1 Margin, Chicagoans Overwhelmingly Oppose Aggressive ICE Actions, National Guard Occupation

CHICAGO – Today, the Hands Off Chicago coalition released a new poll showing large majorities of Chicagoans oppose President Trump’s plans to send ICE into Chicago neighborhoods as well as his proposal to send the National Guard into the city. These results hold true across age, ethnicity, and gender. Click here to see the poll results and cross tabs.

The poll, which surveyed 582 registered Chicago voters on September 11-12, found:

  • 63% of Chicagoans oppose sending the National Guard into Chicago, including 56% who strongly oppose, while only 31% support the idea. That number grows to 65% who oppose the idea after respondents were given additional information.

  • 66% of Chicagoans oppose increasing federal immigration enforcement, including 56% who strongly oppose, while only 29% support the idea. That number increased to 68% opposed after respondents were given additional context about the proposal.

  • A whopping 73% of Chicagoans think Trump is threatening to deploy the National Guard mainly for political reasons as opposed to a goal of reducing crime.

  • 76% of respondents – including 92% of African-American respondents – agree more with the statement that while Chicago has problems with crime, the federal government should partner with the city on proven crime reduction solutions, not bring in the military or National Guard. Only 22% agreed more with the statement that Chicago is a crime-ridden “hellhole” and deploying the National Guard would make us safer.

  • 69% of respondents said they are somewhat or very worried that deploying the National Guard or aggressive immigration enforcement in Chicago could violate residents’ rights or freedoms.

Hands Off Chicago, a coalition of Chicago and Illinois advocacy organizations, released the following statement in response to the poll:

“The data confirms what we are hearing repeatedly in our communities: Chicagoans do not want and do not need ICE, the border patrol, the National Guard, or the military in our region. Chicagoans overwhelmingly believe Trump is doing this for political reasons, and strongly prefer a partnership with the federal government to address our problems, not a unilateral occupation. While a tiny minority tries to overinflate their presence, the reality is that Chicagoans fiercely oppose Trump’s moves.”

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Hands Off Chicago is supported by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights, Indivisible Chicago, Personal PAC, Chicago Federation of Labor, Equality Illinois, Sierra Club Illinois, the Illinois AFL-CIO, and other Chicago advocacy organizations. Learn more at handsoffchicago.com.