Dead rat, anti-immigrant note at ward office reinforces need for more security for Council members

A dead rat and threatening note left outside the North Side office of a City Council champion for immigrant rights underscores the need for stepped-up security — not just at Council chambers but at all 50 ward offices, the targeted alderperson said Monday.

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) said it’s obvious that his office in the 5600 block of North Western Avenue was targeted because of his role as chair of the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the positions he has taken in opposing President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to find and deport immigrants without legal status.

The threatening note that accompanied the dead rat made that abundantly clear.

“Move the illegals and the Rats out of the 40th Ward!" it stated. "They are both Vermin! Support ICE! Their work will get illegals out of our country and lower our taxes.”

“These are definitely times when everything is kind of elevated as far as temperature. We’ve got a president who’s pushing forward the kind of narratives that [are] causing more division,” Vasquez said.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there and a lot of people who might feel disenfranchised," Vasquez added. "When they’re not properly informed, they’re going to react in certain ways. Thankfully, we’ve had more neighbors in support of what we do, and a whole community behind us. It’s not the majority sentiment.”

Vasquez told the Sun-Times he is not about to lower his voice against Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz.” Nor is he planning to relinquish the committee he chairs.

Rather, Vasquez said the incident underscores the need for increased security, both at City Hall and the 50 neighborhood ward offices. He said he is “taking precautions, but none that I’m willing to share. … Why would I want to give anybody a heads-up?”

“This is a good moment and opportunity to review all of the safety measures we have in place and see what else can be done,” Vasquez said.

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University last week was the latest in a disturbing pattern of political violence across the nation that hasn't been seen since the 1960s.

Recent examples include the two assassination attempts against Trump, the murder of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, the firebombing of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence while he and his family slept inside, and the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers after an event at a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.

In the wake of Kirk’s murder, nearly half of the City Council signed a letter requesting a review of City Hall security measures.

Members of the public are already subject to metal detectors, along with restrictions on bags and other items like signs and banners. Disruptive behavior is subject to warnings or removal from the chamber. In recent years, heated debate has forced the chamber to recess early or impose other restrictions — though some were later dropped.

The migrant crisis and the hundreds of millions of dollars in city spending it has required has exacerbated longstanding political tensions between Blacks and Hispanics. Tensions appear to have eased since the city closed its migrant shelters and switched to a unified system for all homeless residents.

But the dead rat incident makes it clear that emotions remain high, and that Trump’s crackdown may have fanned the flames.

An increasingly outspoken critic of Mayor Brandon Johnson, Vasquez is determined to keep his Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights chairmanship — unless he wins his long-shot bid to replace newly retired Zoning Committee Chair Walter Burnett (27th).

But Vasquez expects the coveted job to go to former acting Zoning Committee Chair Bennett Lawson (44th), who held down the fort after the resignation of Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th).

“Less drama,” Vasquez said, calling Lawson the “path of least resistance” for Johnson going into what’s expected to be the most difficult budget season in recent memory.