Chicago Teachers Union President on 'Defend Your Rights' Flyers Amid Federal Troop Threat

Preparing for Federal Intervention

• ⚠️ The Chicago Teachers Union is distributing "Defend Your Rights" flyers to parents and students in anticipation of a potential surge of federal troops or National Guard occupation.
• 💡 The flyers, available in English and Spanish, inform families of their rights, including the right to remain silent and not consent to searches.
• ❓ Stacy Davis Gates, president of the CTU, states that the exact nature of the preparation is unclear, but the goal is to support young people and families in navigating a potentially destabilizing and chaotic situation.

Protecting Students and Schools

• 🏫 The flyers aim to counteract the revocation of ICE protections for sensitive locations, such as schools, by the Department of Homeland Security.
• 📚 CTU has previously "Trump-proofed" their contract in 2019 and 2025, establishing sanctuary and constitutional protections within the contract to guide school communities on engaging with potential encroachments on civil liberties.
• 📈 The union believes that intimidation tactics depress student attendance and that students, particularly Black, Latina, immigrant, and working-class students, need to know their constitutional rights.

Critiquing Federal Intervention Rationale

• 🗣️ The CTU statement labels the pretext of immigration and crime for potential deployment as false.
• 🏢 Gates suggests the forceful occupation of cities run by Black mayors, like Chicago under Mayor Johnson, is a political tactic contrasting with the mayor's progressive policies.
• 🏫 The union advocates for federal intervention in the form of fully funded public schools and housing for the unhoused, rather than the current approach.
• 🤝 The CTU emphasizes their work in the community and ensuring young people have jobs.