Anabel Mendoza on Chicagoans Fighting Back Against Trump

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2:57Ben Meiselas:their cars than like the militarized ICE and border patrol agents coming out with their military grade weapons and pointing it up. You've seen these images here like Playbis.

3:10Ben Meiselas:Yeah.

3:14Ben Meiselas:Hit and run. Hit and run. Hit and run. Hit and run. Hit and run. Hit and run. That's a hit and run. Hit and run. Hit and run. Watch out with that weapon! That weapon! Yo, watch out! What's wrong with you? You hit her! Yo, yo, yo! What's wrong? You hit her! You hit her! You hit her! You guys hit her! You guys hit her! What's wrong with y 'all? Y 'all hit her! Y 'all bust a whole U-turn! In the middle of the street! Y 'all hit her! Y 'all on camera!

3:54Ben Meiselas:And we've seen that was in Chicago, by the way, also in Chicago, for example, we've seen ICE terrorize daycare workers and daycare centers while the while the children are in there. They show up with their weapons. They point them at kids. They rip people apart. Here, just play this clip. And then I saw the teacher being dragged out and into the car. So immediately, obviously, I knew it must have been ICE. This lady, one of the many parents, trying to drop off a child this morning at the Raito-des-Aul daycare along Addison, met instead with the sound of screaming. As a young teacher was dragged out of the building by armed, camo-clad and masked men.

4:35Ben Meiselas:They went into the daycare with our kids there. Like, it's just... I am at a loss for words for the, again, audacity. As those watching realised what was happening, the phones flipped on. I was just thinking, like, what to do. Like, I know the first thing that I've heard, everyone's told me to record and report it. I've told a lot of my friends to share it on social media, on the videos, like just to let everyone know as soon as possible. Some arguing with agents as they got back into their Texas registered vehicle and drove off. It's just absolute terror. Like, why are you at a daycare at 7 in the morning?

5:12Ben Meiselas:This isn't right. This isn't American. This isn't who you are. I'm sure you've seen the images at the Broadview Detention Center, which is basically a concentration camp right in the Chicago area where no one really knows what's even happening in there and the horrific conditions that when people are snatched, they're thrown there. There have been peaceful protests out there. I'm sure you've seen the images of the ICE and Border Patrol agents on the roof, sniper style shooting down at the peaceful protesters, the reporters, the priests who are there with non-lethal rounds, but very, very, very damaging.

5:49Ben Meiselas:Here, play this clip.

6:01Ben Meiselas:Now I can show you, I mean, literally tens of thousands of videos and images of what they were doing in Chicago. And we're seeing that rolled out, of course, across the country, whether it's in Charlotte or Portland or Los Angeles, you name it. We've seen these tactics used, and it's been horrific. But the people are uniting, and that's what I want to spend this video talking about. And someone who's been involved deeply in the immigrant rights movement is someone by the name of Annabelle Mendoza, who lives in the area where that Broadview Detention Center is. And she's running for Congress for the 7th Congressional District.

6:40Ben Meiselas:There's an open seat there. Danny Davis, the Congress member, is leaving after this year. and there's a seat now to be filled. I want to bring in Annabelle Mendoza, who is running for that congressional seat in the seventh, which is Broadview Detention Facility Area, where we're seeing a lot of these videos. You're also 28 years old. You're the youngest candidate here. I want to talk about the race that you're running and why, but let's start talking about, though, your background, of course, in the immigrant rights movement and what you've seen, because of course we've seen the horrors evidenced by those videos, but we've also seen solidarity in fighting back.

7:19Ben Meiselas:Let's start off with what you've observed first, then the fight back, then your fight for Congress. So what have you observed in Chicago and the tactics being used by this Trump regime? Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I have worked for years in the immigrant rights movement, specifically with immigrant youth. I am also the daughter and granddaughter of immigrants. What we are seeing unfold in the streets of Chicago, a city that I love dearly, is extremely personal to me, as I know it is for so many of my neighbors. Immigrants make not only Chicago strong, but our entire country. And what we are seeing right now is absolutely atrocious.

7:53We are seeing a total overreach by the Trump administration, blatantly unlawful actions by ICE agents and CBP agents who are arresting people without warrants and without due process. and we are seeing the terror. I mean, you showed the videos. These are individuals. These are our neighbors. These are restaurant workers, daycare workers who they are with impunity going after detaining and throwing into detention camps like Broadview where the windows are boarded up, where there is zero oversight. And it is enraging for me to see these videos because I know that it is our taxpayer dollars, billions of our taxpayer dollars that are going to fund ICE and CBP.

8:36And they're not going to the things that our working communities actually need, funding health care, making our schools stronger. This is taking an impact on all of us. But as you said, Chicago is united. And through all of this terror, I have seen deepened solidarity between neighbors looking after one another.

8:53Ben Meiselas:Let's talk about that, because that's what's given me hope. And I think that's what has caught this Trump regime off guard. I think that they just assumed they would show up like terroristic cowboys. You know, Greg Bovino, he rolls in, little man, but he rolls in with the crew and they start like, you know, the way I described it, and it's not the right words, but like when you'd go through like one of those like horror amusement parks and the people would like come out of the corners and scare you, except it was real life. Yes. These people were touching you and they would harm you and they would pull weapons out and they would inflict real pain.

9:36Ben Meiselas:And then I think they thought that that would end it and people would, what, stay in their homes and never go out and turn on their neighbors and point each other out. And then what Trump would be declared the king of whatever with the stupid Trump building there or whatever. Like, I think that's what they envisioned, but that's not what's happened. Tell us what's happened. Absolutely. I mean, you're you're exactly right. This is what we are seeing right now. There's a reason we call it kidnappings and abductions, because these are agents coming in with masks on. You have no idea who they are.

10:06You have no idea that this is a federal agent or some random person on the street. And they're pulling out weapons. They are quite literally dragging people from their cars with impunity, violently. And we've seen this impact not just immigrant communities, but U.S. citizens. There are stories of these agents going after veterans, going after longstanding leaders of the community, faith leaders. I was just at Broadview standing side by side with faith leaders, and I saw the aggression that was happening towards these leaders in our community who, again, are exercising their Constitutional Amendment right to peacefully protest and to speak out against what we are seeing.

10:44This is un-American and it's not what we stand for. This is the reason why I'm running for Congress, because there are not enough leaders right now who are sticking up for working families in the face of not only this terror, but I want to be very clear that what is happening is not in service of anybody other than the Trump administration and their blatant fascism. We need to make sure that we elect leaders into Congress who are going to fight for working families every hour of every day and make sure that we are focused on not only making our healthcare system stronger, making our schools stronger and safer, and our neighborhoods, bringing investment back into our neighborhoods.

11:20That is not what's happening. Every dime that is spent on immigration enforcement is money that doesn't make it to our communities.

11:28Ben Meiselas:You know, I'll tell you what really kind of pissed me off in 2024, 2020, in general. I think that with this massive propaganda wave that was being pushed by Trump and MAGA, I think Democrats pulled back from saying, we support immigrants and America is a country of immigrants. And that's what made our country successful and thrive and beautiful. I think you can still have an appropriate conversation about the border and what that means, but also recognizing, which we all I think do, that the bad guys and gals should go, but there is a role for immigrants and a big role for immigrants being productive and helping out this country.

12:14Ben Meiselas:And we all, one way or another in America, most of us come from immigrants. And I just think that when When I see the sign back there saying Chicago loves immigrants, I think that's an important message to have out there and one to really lean into, which we do on this network and not shy away from. That doesn't mean we're not going to have conversations about borders or other things at all. We will. But we can say this is what makes our country beautiful. Mm-hmm. Absolutely. And I think you said it yourself just now that they are going after people in our communities who we know, who we love, who also take care of our city.

12:47I'm this this week I'm having an event where I'm going to be speaking with some of the parents from that same daycare where one of their their students as teachers was ripped from the classroom in front of toddlers. This is exactly what's happening. And it is not only instilling fear, but I think really what is important to focus on is the solidarity that is being built out of this moment. The Trump administration wants to pit working people against each other. They want working families to fight over scraps while people can't pay their rent, can't pay for groceries. Their health care premiums are going to go up in the next year exponentially.

13:23And when we're fighting against each other, we're not looking at the fact that they continue to get richer off of our expense. And so this is a moment where we need to elect leaders who are going to fight. That's why I'm running, because I have been extremely disheartened by the Democratic establishment that to me has ceded the issue of immigration completely to Republicans, has allowed them to define the issue. And the reality is immigration is not just an immigrant issue. It is all of our issues. We are seeing the fact that these raids are impacting our local economy immensely, not only with workers being detained, but small businesses are feeling the impact of that.

14:02Less customers coming into their small businesses because they're afraid to go out of their homes. That also means less workers. So this has a ripple effect on all of us. And that is the thing that I really want people to understand in this moment is that as we take action, as we stand in solidarity with immigrant communities, it's because immigrants are inherently part of the city of Chicago and our country.

14:25Ben Meiselas:Before we go, I have one two part question. Number one, where could people find out more information about the campaign? But also So it is a crowded primary. And so what separates you from the other candidates and what do you want our viewers to know about that? Yeah, I want viewers to know that, yes, I am the youngest candidate in this race, but it means that I have the most energy, the most urgency of this moment. And I have worked in the immigrant rights movement for years on the front lines battling this exact administration. What we are seeing, what has unfolded in the streets of Chicago, but also in cities like L.A., in Charlotte.

15:01This has been going on for years. It may not have been live streamed on our phones, but I, along with other leaders in the immigrant rights movement, have been fighting on the front lines to protect our communities against the violent overreach. And also to make sure that our taxpayer dollars don't go to this, but actually go into the resources that our communities need to thrive. So I would encourage people who also understand the urgency of this moment, who want to elect leaders who are ready to meet this moment and fight for working families to join my campaign. They can learn more at AnnabelleForCongress.com.

15:33They can also attend my upcoming town hall that will be happening in Oak Park, and it's going to dig into this very issue. We're going to hear from other immigrant rights leaders. We're going to hear from organizers. We're going to hear from folks in the communities that have been impacted the most. And we're also going to hear from parents at that daycare center who have also seen these agents firsthand go after people in their own communities.

15:55Ben Meiselas:Ana Belmendoza, thanks for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our sub stack at MidasPlus.com. You'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, ad-free episodes of our podcast, and more exclusive content only available at MidasPlus.com.

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