There is no separating safety from health. Trump’s deployments are dangerous for people living with HIV, and all our well-being. 

The recent incidents of ICE and Trump-deployed federal agents’ violence against Chicagoans is reprehensible and violates of our laws and the principles of dignity and human rights upon which AIDS Foundation Chicago and the HIV movement were founded.  Shootings, assault, chemical weapons, abductions, and incarceration are devastating to the health of the victims, and we send our most sincere condolences to those individuals and their families who have been harmed and disappeared.  The specter of violence threatens all our health and well-being.   

We know that racism is a public health crisis, and the racism motivating these federal deployments will exacerbate existing disparities in healthcare access for our Latine and Black communities.  We are fighting alongside our partners to push back against the Trump administration in the courtroom, on Capitol Hill, and on the streets of Chicago. 

As our city is militarized and our Latine and Black communities are violently repressed, it is no wonder that people are feeling afraid. One consequence of this fear caused by Trump’s deployments is restricted freedom of movement.  Already, AFC clients are feeling too afraid to risk trips to make their appointments.  Some are not answering their phones out of fear, making it difficult for case managers to reach them.  Our case managers and staff themselves are afraid of being harassed or worse by ICE and DHS agents.  This stress and fear will drive negative health outcomes, including worsened mental health, and missed appointments could lead to preventable illness and jeopardize clients’ ability to stay connected to HIV care.   

We are doing everything we can to innovate safe ways to deliver the services our clients need to be healthy.  We are responding proactively by being flexible – meeting our clients where they are in safe community spaces, and by ensuring our teams travel in groups, among other approaches.  But any barrier to health care access will harm the health of our clients and Chicagoans as a whole.  We reject the Trump administration’s deployments and will continue to fight until ICE, DHS, and the National Guard are out of Chicago. 

AIDS Foundation Chicago Communications are not supported by federal funds.