Join us in person or online for a timely discussion on how various groups are working to hold ICE accountable for its actions in Chicago.
Click here to download the event flyer to share with your network.
To register, please scroll down and complete the form below.
Moderator:
Sharon R. Fairley: Ms. Fairley is a University of Chicago Law School graduate and current Professor from Practice. Before joining the Law School, Professor Fairley was a federal prosecutor, the First Deputy Inspector General & General Counsel for the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General, and Chief Administrator for the Independent Police Review Authority, the agency responsible for police misconduct investigations. She also created and stood-up the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).
Panel Members:
Hon. Ruben Castillo (Ret.): Rubén Castillo is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In 1994, Castillo was the first person of Latino descent to be named a judge in the Northern District of Illinois, and in 2013 the first to become Chief Judge; he served in that role for 25 years. He is currently serving as Chair, Illinois Accountability Commission, with a goal of creating a public record of the conduct of federal agents during “Operation Midway Blitz” and the Trump Administration’s military-style operations throughout the Chicagoland area.
Lori Lightfoot: Ms. Lightfoot was the 56th Mayor of the City of Chicago and the City’s first black woman and first LGBTQ person to hold that role. Prior to becoming Mayor, Ms. Lightfoot was a US Attorney in the Criminal Division, Partner at Mayer Brown, Chief Administrator, Chicago Police Department Office of Professional Standards, Chicago Police Board and Task Force. In her post-mayoral career, Ms. Lightfoot is teaching and consulting on a variety of public interest matters. She recently organized and leads the Illinois Accountability Project, an effort to provide a clearinghouse for collecting evidence of abuses by ICE officers.
Mary Meg McCarthy: Ms. McCarthy is the Executive Director of the National Immigrant Justice Centers (NIJC), a premier immigrant and human rights advocacy organization which oversees ~1,500 pro bono attorney providing legal services to thousands of individuals annually. She is an expert on immigration law, policy, and practices who is an award winning attorney, has testified before Congress, and a frequent television guest. The NIJC leads a program providing pro bono legal assistance to immigrants in habeas cases.
Fred Tsao: Mr. Tsao is the Senior Policy Counsel of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). The organization is dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. Fred has been one of the leaders in ICIRR’s efforts to respond to the Midway Blitz options in the Chicago area.
Matthew J. Piers: Matthew Piers is an nationally known litigator and current President of Hughes, Socol Piers Resnick & Dym. His focus includes complex litigation involving class actions, constitutional and civil rights, labor rights, employment, education and housing discrimination, law enforcement misconduct, immigrants' rights, RICO, to name a few. He is also a member of Whistleblower Advocates. Earlier in his career, Mr. Piers was Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
