Live: Lawmakers hear from witnesses on Trump actions in Chicago

(NewsNation) — A group of Democratic lawmakers held a “shadow hearing” Friday on federal immigration actions in Chicago.

The hearing is not an official Judiciary Committee hearing. It was run by Illinois Democratic Reps. Jesús “Chuy” García, Delia Ramirez, Robin Kelly and Danny Davis, as well as Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.

The hearing, titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Assault on Chicago,” will address the Trump administration’s immigration actions in Chicago and include witnesses who will testify to their personal experiences, trauma, alleged constitutional violations and labor impacts.

Jayapal opened the hearing by talking about the immigration actions and the impact on the community, saying that agents were engaging in racial profiling and that most of those detained do not have any criminal convictions.

Witnesses include Pastor David Black; Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Bob Reiter, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor; and Kevin Fee, legal director of the ACLU of Illinois.

“We are watching the Trump administration test what they can get away with,” Black said. “Peaceful protesters continue to be clubbed, beaten and dragged out of designated free speech zones.”

He stated that federal forces are violating court orders with impunity.

“Donald Trump built his empire on the backs of immigrant workers,” Reiter said.

In recent months, President Donald Trump has focused heavily on Chicago, where he has deployed immigration officers to the area to conduct mass deportations. He also attempted to send in the National Guard to fight crime in the city.

That deployment of troops was blocked by the courts, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have criticized the move as unnecessary, noting that crime is down in the city.

The Trump administration has continued to fight for the deployment in court.