On Thursday, Feb. 26, Democratic candidates running for congressional representative in Illinois’ 7th district gathered in downtown Chicago to speak to Streeterville and River North residents about their stances on bipartisanship, public safety, education, and immigration.
While illegal immigration has ranked as a low social priority in the city’s past elections, according to a recent study conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, Chicagoans’ concern is increasing.
In a reflection of this shifting attitude, nearly all candidates at the forum advocated for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); however, they did have different opinions on pathways to citizenship, amnesty, and pursuing prosecution of ICE’s federal agents. Candidates were also highly critical of the current administration, labeling President Trump’s immigration tactics as abusive and anti-Constitutional.
“About half of Chicagoans believed the number of immigrants should be reduced in Summer and Fall of 2024, while 4 in 10 felt the same in Spring 2025 and Summer 2025,” reads the ChicagoSpeaks survey from NORC.
The elected congressional representatives can impact ICE and Border Patrol procedures in a couple ways. As a unified body, Congress holds the power of the purse; however, the House tends to hold the primary authority as this is where bills that control government spending must originate. Those elected to the House of Representatives can also initiate other legislative action to alter, restructure or abolish ICE, and can also introduce impeachment processes.
Below is what each candidate in Illinois’ 7th Congressional District said.
La Shawn Ford
La Shawn Ford speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
La Shawn Ford is a Chicago native, born in the Cabrini-Green housing projects and a career public servant. Since his election in 2007, Ford has served as a West Side 8th District state representative. He runs his platform on six main pillars, which include economic opportunity, increasing access to healthcare, housing stability, and criminal justice reform, among others. He also has been vocal about the importance of voting and civil rights.
At the Feb. 26 forum, Ford deemed comprehensive immigration reform as a priority, and condemned the damage done to families because “you don’t have comprehensive immigration reform.”
“My priority is to make sure we connect families, make sure that we don’t separate families in this country. As an African-American, I understand what it means to be separated from your families. It’s heartbreaking. So I’ve always supported keeping families together in this country,” said Ford.
Richard Boykin
Richard Boykin speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Richard Boykin is a long-time Chicago resident who was raised in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. He is an attorney, and also served as chief of staff and legislative director to U.S. Rep. Danny Davis in the late 90s and early 2000s. He was also elected to serve as 1st District Commissioner in 2014. In his campaign for congressman, he has championed increased affordability for housing, food, healthcare and childcare, as well as public safety and reducing gun violence.
While he echoed Ford’s sentiments of the necessity of comprehensive immigration reform, he added that ICE must be abolished.
“Let’s make sure that the Dreamers are taken care of. Let’s also make sure that we find a pathway to citizenship for all those who are here not documented,” said Boykin. “A lot of these folks are actually working and doing a lot of the work towards our economy. We can’t scapegoat them. We can’t do the things that this administration is doing, and so we have to make sure that we work to get comprehensive immigration reform and make sure we provide a pathway to citizenship for everybody.”
Boykin was only one of two candidates who directly mentioned supporting the recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or “Dreamers,” who have been increasingly targeted by federal deportation actions.
David Ehrlich
David Ehrlich speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
David Ehrlich, a former public policy professor who has just over two decades of experience working in Congress, has some of the most direct policy and congressional experience. Ehrlich advocates for ending corruption and providing accountability in government, strong climate policy, lowering costs of health care, food, housing and energy and reducing gun violence.
At the forum, he called ICE “incredibly cruel” and “bad policing.” He was the third to call for policy reform, and the second to advocate for a clearer pathway to citizenship.
“I’m in favor of a one-time amnesty. We have to make it clear that this is a one-time amnesty, but it’s worked before. It’s worked here. It’s worked in other countries. And I think that’s the only way we can bring everyone into a legal citizenship,” said Ehrlich.
One of the most well-known U.S. uses of one-time amnesty is the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which simultaneously introduced penalties to employers who knowingly hired undocumented individuals, but also offered lawful permanent residency to undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. prior to 1982.
“We need to continue to have some immigration into the U.S., in fact, a fair amount of immigration in the U.S.,” he continued. “If we shut off the borders, like Trump would like to do and like Stephen Miller would like to do, we’re going to continue to destroy our economy, increase inflation, and have a range of other problems that we don’t want.”
Reed Showalter
Reed Showalter speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. Video still. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Reed Showalter, another Chicago native, born and raised in Oak Park, has made a career fighting corporate power both in Chicago and federally at the Federal Trade Commission as an attorney. Prior to Trump’s return to office, Showalter was a U.S. Justice Department counsel and White House National Economic council advisor. He campaigns on affordability, which includes housing, healthcare, food, and is also an advocate for increasing taxes on billionaires, breaking up “Big Tech” monopolies, supporting immigrants, and solving climate change, among other issues.
Showalter was passionate about his support for immigrants, calling them “America’s superpower.” He agreed with the other candidates about comprehensive policy reform, clearly called for a pathway to citizenship, and was the only candidate to explicitly call for the dismantling of the U.S. Customs and Border Protections in its entirety.
“[Immigration], it’s the thing that’s made the American economy thrive. It is the thing that makes American culture rich. It makes our communities healthy,” said Showalter. He continued, criticizing the actions of federal enforcement agents. “Abolish ICE. Abolish CBP. Prosecute the agents who have been rolling through our streets with unmarked vans and assault weapons.”
Jazmin Robinson
Jazmin Robinson (left) sitting at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Jazmin Robinson, who grew up in both Chicago and Plainfield, Illinois, has over a decade of experience working in corporate America as a Human Resources leader. She is one of four female democratic candidates on the ballot, and is also a comedian and improviser who has performed across theaters in Chicago. She is running on her policy, the H.E.A.L. Act, which promotes free universal health care, free education (including childcare, college and trade schools), access to government and fair markets, and living wage.
Robinson grounded her immigration stance in constitutional legitimacy.
“In the Constitution, it says you have to impeach the president and vice president when they levy war against the United States, which they did when they brought federal troops into our states and killed Americans. That’s what I want to do.”
Robinson is correct in her understanding of impeachment; however, the Constitution defines “levying war,” as an assemblage of people for a treasonable offense, generally interpreted as defying or subverting the U.S. government.
Robinson was the only candidate to explicitly state her desire to bring the Articles of Impeachment against Trump and Vance. She echoed other’s sentiments on abolishing ICE and creating a more fair pathway to citizenship.
“Studies show that when immigrants come into our communities, crime lowers; there are more small businesses, because [immigrants] are more likely to be entrepreneurs, which leads to economic growth,” said Robinson.
Kina Collins
Kina Collins speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Kina Collins is another lifelong Chicagoan, who was born and raised on the West Side in Austin. Her career has been in public service and community organizing; in 2017, she founded the Chicago Neighborhood Alliance, which aims to “empower residents in violence impacted neighborhoods to build civic power and take action to change their communities,” and is also a gun violence prevention advocate by profession.
Collins’ list of top issues for her campaign include economic development, dignity for seniors, healthcare coverage and equity, supporting women’s reproductive rights, affordable housing, reparations, and more.
Like Robinson, Collins’ was quick to admonish the current administration for its immigration actions, calling for the abolishment of ICE and providing a clearer pathway to citizenship for immigrants.
“I think that the humanitarian crisis that has happened around immigration in our country exposed the hypocrisy of the leaders in our country. The Trump administration calls the immigrant community rapists and criminals as Trump literally sits in the White House. He’s referring to himself,” Collins started. “Illinois 7 should serve as a national model on how we have humane immigration practices in our country. And that is going to be a primary focus of our administration when I go to Congress.”
Felix Tello
Felix Tello speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. Video still. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Felix Tello is an Executive Engineer and considers himself an activist and a constitutional scholar. He promotes “accountable and transparent representation,” is committed to allow the public to vote on bills through his app Vote Our Way, and advocates for pushing the 28th Amendment, generally known as the Equal Rights Amendment. His campaign is run on five proposed legislative frameworks, as well as bolstering democracy and institutional integrity, accessible health and mental health care, affordable housing, climate action, humanitarian support and more.
Tello began his 90 seconds by letting the audience know that he is an immigrant himself, moving to the U.S. in 1964, and that Spanish was his first language. While he argued that immigration reform is needed, he differed on his belief in a pathway to citizenship for undocumented individuals.
“The challenge that we have with immigration reform is that a big part of the country believes that immigrants that are here illegally have cut in line. And if you think about it, it’s true,” said Tello.
“When I talk to them, they’re not looking for citizenship. They just want to be legal and live free, seek the American dream and work hard,” he continued. “We need a pathway to green card, not to citizenship. To residency. And they have to take, they have to wait longer for all those people that did wait in line and they can get their citizenship. I actually thought about not even offering them citizenship. They should, but they’ll be very happy with that. Trust me.”
Rory Hoskins
Rory Hoskins speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. Video still. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Rory Hoskins is the current mayor of Forest Park, Illinois. He became the first Black man to hold that title after his election in 2019, and he was re-elected in 2023. Born in Texas, Hoskins is a long-time advocate for civil rights and cultural heritage. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and served two terms as Forest Park Village Commissioner (2007-2015) prior to becoming a mayor.
Hoskins’ platform lays out eight core principles, which include: improving transportation, supporting infrastructure and policy aimed at reducing the effects of climate change and pollution, increasing economic mobility, ensuring quality education, affordable and accessible healthcare, childcare and foster parent support, funding VA hospitals and expanding mental health services, and immigration.
Hoskins began by vocalizing his support for amnesty and finished his statement affirming his support for abolishing ICE and reforming immigration.
“People who’ve lived and worked in this country, for years, should be allowed to stay, even if they didn’t come through the formal channels,” said Hoskins.
“The language that the current president and that the Republicans use to describe people who are undocumented is simply cruel. It lends itself to constitutional abuses – the kind of abuses that we’ve been seeing these last few months.”
Anthony Driver Jr.
Anthony Driver Jr. speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. Video still. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Anthony Driver Jr. is a lifelong Chicago resident, and the executive director of the Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council (SEIU), an influential labor union. At the SEIU, Driver leads legislative and political strategy, and initiatives that center worker’s rights and social justice. Driver was elected as the first president of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability; he now remains a commissioner for the CCSPA.
Driver’s top priorities cover 16 different topics, some of which include: affordable housing, expanding public health resources, including Medicare for All, expand federal youth employment funding and job/after school opportunities, protecting reproductive freedom, and center workers by raising the federal minimum wage in Chicago and protect their right to collective bargaining.
Driver is also strong in his opposition to Donald Trump and what he describes as the “MAGA Agenda,” which he made clear when speaking about immigration at the forum:
“You have a president who is literally selling gold cards for citizenship. He’s telling us to our face that if you have money, then I will grant you a pathway to citizenship. That is disgusting.”
The Trump Gold Card, to which Driver refers, would grant owners citizenship after a $1 million contribution and a $15,000 processing fee, which includes “additional small fees to the U.S. The Department of State [that] may apply depending on the applicant.” A Trump Platinum card is soon to launch, which offers a pathway to citizenship following a $5 million contribution.
Driver continued by verbalizing his support for comprehensive immigration reform.
“I also think we need to go a step further. The Supreme Court has recently legalized racial discrimination,” said Hoskins. “We have to expand the court. And I know that may sound like a radical idea to some, but when you think about the fact that this president and this MAGA Republican Party has rigged the courts, we cannot allow this to happen for another 30-40 years. We have to unrig the system and completely rebuild it, because this president and his goons are doing everything they can to tear it down.”
Anabel Mendoza
Anabel Mendoza speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. Video still. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Anabel Mendoza is a lifelong Chicagoan who was raised in West Lawn, and a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Class of 2020. At 28-years-old, Mendoza is the youngest candidate running for congress on the ballot. As a daughter and granddaughter of immigrants, she has dedicated her career to fighting for immigrant rights working across various advocacy-based organizations; she is currently the Director of Communications at United We Dream.
Her campaign includes three main pillars, which are affordability, justice, and public health and safety. Each of her fourteen campaign priorities are rooted in these pillars, some of which include livable wages and financial stability, investing in youth and strengthening schools, fighting for reproductive justice, and supporting disability rights issues.
One of three Latine candidates, Mendoza began her statement by reproaching Felix Tello’s immigration stance.
“I know Felix mentioned he is Latino and speaks for all Latinos. I’m a Latina, he doesn’t speak for me.”
This was met by varied applause, and Mendoza went on to affirm her support for a pathway to citizenship, abolishing ICE and prosecuting ICE agents.
“I am the only candidate on this stage tonight who has spent her entire career doing that work,” Mendoza continued. She then called attention to the growing deportations of DACA recipients.
“I work with DACA recipients every single day. I sit down with them as they make plans for who is going to take care of their children if they are wrongfully deported. We need to protect due process. We need to keep families together. We need to fight back against this Trump administration that is delegitimizing programs like DACA and TPS, and make sure that those who have temporary status, and those who are undocumented, have a path to full citizenship in this country,” she finished.
Jason Friedman
Jason Friedman speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Jason Friedman is an owner and former president of Friedman Properties, a real estate firm located in River North. He has a track record of working in public service for the Democratic party, which includes working under Rahm Emanuel during former President Bill Clinton’s administration, and working on the Senate Judiciary Committee under Senator Dick Durbin. Friedman also has deep roots in Chicago, being a fourth-generation resident in the city.
Friedman’s agenda for his campaign includes priorities like lowering costs for families, providing affordable, good quality education for students, combating gun violence and investing in community violence intervention programs, and banning “Trump’s ICE.”
He began his statement denouncing the violence of federal enforcement agents under President Trump’s leadership, and expressed his interest in defunding ICE.
“We have created the 15th largest standing army in the world,” said Friedman, “Outrageous. We are spending $150 billion a year having the Proud Boys being armed with assault rifles, running around our country, locking people up, unconstitutionally.”
According to the Brennan Center for Justice and CBS News, the recent One Big Beautiful Bill Act more than tripled ICE’s annual budget, with Congress setting aside roughly $170 billion for immigration and border control efforts.
Friedman then added to the chorus of candidates who called for abolishing ICE and reforming the current immigration system.
“As your congressman, I would not authorize one more dollar for ICE unless there is accountability and justice. This is outrageous, it’s un-American.”
Dr. Thomas Fisher
Dr. Thomas Fisher speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Dr. Thomas Fisher is an emergency physician at the University of Chicago Medical Center, a South Side facility in the same community where he was raised. His policy background includes being selected as a White House Fellow under HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in 2010, during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act.
As a physician, one of Fisher’s top priorities is universal healthcare. He also argues for increasing community safety, responding to the climate crisis and supporting environmental justice, raising wages and strengthening unions, lower the cost of living, providing free and equitable education, and comprehensive immigration reform.
Fisher was the last to receive the microphone, and agreed with the other candidates who called for defunding and abolishing ICE and prosecuting its agents. He criticized the divisive language weaponized by the current administration.
“They’re creating this ‘us’ versus ‘them’ dynamic that is far too old and far too comfortable in this country. Until we step forward to a new reality where there is no ‘them’, there is only ‘us,’ and we are looking to protect one another in these moments, we’ll never get to the sort of society that flourishes that we are all looking for,” said Fisher.
Fisher finished by calling for a pathway to citizenship, “including amnesty,” and emphasizing the necessity of immigrants for the American economy and labor market.
“25% of doctors in this country are immigrants. We need them. If you want to get a handle on our costs of living, 40% of people who are in construction are immigrants. We need them,” said Fisher.
Figures from the “Census of Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2024,” which was published August 2025, revealed that international medical graduates account for 23% of the U.S. medical workforce. IMGs are physicians who practice in a different country than where they graduated medical school from; though this does not directly reflect medical professionals who are immigrants in the U.S., the census does draw attention to the recent changes to visa policies and immigration rules which “have introduced new complexities that may affect IMG’s ability to enter or remain in the United States for medical education, residency training, and long-term employment.”
According to the National Associate of Home Builders most recent census, which was published in 2023, immigrants make up roughly 25% of workers in the construction industry; however, this figure varies significantly depending on the specific construction trade. The trades most reliant on immigrant workers reflect percentages between 30% – 61% of immigrants in their workforce.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin
Headshot of Melissa Conyears-Ervin. Provided by Team Conyears-Ervin March 12, 2026.
Melissa Conyears-Ervin currently serves as the City Treasurer of Chicago, and is a lifelong Chicago resident. In her role, where she is now completing her second term, Conyears-Ervin is a “banker, investor, and custodian of public funds for the City of Chicago and the four City of Chicago employee pension funds.” Prior to working as treasurer, she was a businesswoman at Allstate for nearly two decades.
Conyears-Ervin runs a platform on building sustainable wealth, lowering costs and supporting fairer wages, supporting health care as a universal right, pushing for higher taxes on the wealthy and lower taxes on the middle class, increase public safety, protect abortion rights, support quality and affordable education, and support the thoughtful use and development of AI in the U.S.
Though she was not present at the February 26 forum, Conyears-Ervin has previously condemned ICE activity in Chicago. In a November budget hearing, Conyears-Ervin announced that the city will pull investments in the U.S. Treasury securities as an act of protest to the aggression of Operation Midway Blitz, and the Trump Administration’s “authoritarian regime.”
There are two Republican candidates on the ballot for District 7 Congressional Representative, Chad Koppie and Patricia “P Rae” Easley, who were not present at the forum. To see their campaign policies and immigration views, click here.
Election day is Tuesday, March 17, and early voting is now open for all Chicagoans. Same-day registration is available at all early voting sites, and if you are registering in-person, you will need two forms of ID. Click here to find out where you can vote early and between what hours. In addition, you can apply to vote by mail now through Thursday, March 12, 5:00 P.M. For all other voting information for City of Chicago residents, please see here.
Cover Photo: Richard Boykin speaking at the Forum for 7th US Congressional District Democratic Candidates at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch in Streeterville. By Britton Struthers-Lugo, February 26, 2026.
Editor’s Notes: This story is made possible through support from the Healing Illinois Reporting Project, Democracy Lives Here, a statewide initiative led by the Medill Solutions Journalism Hub and funded by the Field Foundation of Illinois. Illinois Latino News is among the newsrooms selected to participate in this effort, which brings together journalists committed to strengthening civic life by reporting on community‑driven responses to systemic inequities and deepening public understanding of how democracy is lived at the local level.