A dead rat was left on the doorstep with a handwritten note at an alderman’s office Sunday night that contained “derogatory statements” about immigrants, according to officials.
The rat and note was left at the office of Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, on the 5600 block of North Western Avenue around 7:30 p.m.
In a statement on Facebook, Vasquez said: “Tonight, the Chicago Police Department alerted us of an incident at the 40th Ward Office. A dead rat was left in front of our office, along with a threatening note taped to the door that, among other things, referred to undocumented immigrants as vermin.
In this current political climate, we take these threats seriously, and are working with the Chicago Police Department to investigate. In the meantime, the 40th Ward Office will remain open. We are and will always be steadfast in our commitment to serving 40th Ward neighbors and supporting the rights of the immigrant community.”
No one is in custody.
The incident followed a weekend Mexican heritage festivities and protests across Chicagoland amid a looming surge of immigration crackdown operations in the area under the Trump administration. On Sunday, hundreds gathered in Little Village for the 54th annual Mexican Independence Day Parade, in a roaring celebration of pride and power.
On Saturday, a group of workers, community members and lawmakers gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility in Broadview to call for the release of a day laborer detained Friday while walking to a barbershop in the Little Village neighborhood and to denounce the fatal shooting of a man Friday in Franklin Park by an ICE agent.