Cook County public defender to represent undocumented residents in immigration court cases elsewhere

Attorneys with the county public defender’s immigration unit will provide representation virtually.

By
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Immigration
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February 18, 2025
Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell, Jr. speaks to the Cook County Board of Commissioners, as shown February 6, 2025. HWH / Amethyst J. Davis

Attorneys with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, led by Sharone Mitchell, Jr., will be representing undocumented residents of Cook County in court cases outside of Cook County after commissioners authorized the move. Cases will be heard virtually. 

The defender’s office has four attorneys in the immigration unit, Mitchell, Jr., said at the board’s meeting on Feb. 6. Those attorneys currently represent undocumented clients in cases in Chicago Immigration Court.

“Let’s be clear that this resolution will not have us flying our public defenders all across the country to represent folks,” Mitchell, Jr. explained to commissioners. “We are talking about folks that have ties to Cook County whose court case, based upon decisions made by the [Trump] administration, might move to different courts across the country.”

In 2021, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law authorizing public defenders in counties with a population over three million people to serve outside of a county’s geographic boundaries, given board approval.

“We’re responding to unprecedented assaults on our rights and the rights of the undocumented in this country,” Commissioner Scott Britton (14th) said, adding that he would stand with supporting undocumented people, especially if it won’t have significant impact on the county budget.

Commissioner Sean Morrison (17th) voted against a resolution allowing attorneys with the county public defender’s immigration unit to virtually represent undocumented Cook County residents cases outside of Cook County, as shown February 6, 2025. HWH / Amethyst J. Davis

The board’s resolution had near unanimous approval. Commissioner Sean Morrison (17th), the board’s lone GOP member, representing the southwest suburbs, cast the only dissenting vote. Morrison represented “the majority of the pulse on this, not us sitting in a silo,” regarding the topic, he said. He also referenced a federal lawsuit, filed that same morning, stressing that commissioners should not “obstruct and stand in the way of federal laws.”

The same morning of the board’s decision, United States Department of Justice officials filed a lawsuit against Pritzker, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. In the suit, federal officials allege that local, county, and state officials have created policies that make it inherently harder for the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is also named in the suit.

Read the full lawsuit here.

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Author
Amethyst J. Davis

Amethyst J. Davis is responsible for spearheading the growth and development of the HWH, including outlining the editorial trajectory and content. She also produces “The Renaissance Letter,” our biweekly email newsletter, edits content, and fact-checks stories prior to publication. Amethyst was an administrator at New York University before launching her journalism career. She was previously a member of the Sounding Board, the community advisory board for Chicago Public Media, which includes WBEZ Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Amethyst is a 2023 Leader of a New Chicago award recipient, as recognized by the Field Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. She was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.

In 2022, Amethyst was a Casey Fellow with the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Black News & Views. She is a sought after speaker on community journalism and has given talks at institutions like DePaul University and the University of Kansas. Amethyst is a regular guest on City Cast Chicago.

She was invited by Harvard University to submit a 2023 and 2024 Nieman Lab prediction. Under her leadership, the HWH has become one of the nation’s most-watched hyperlocal newsrooms. The HWH has received national coverage in publications like Poynter, Harvard University’s Nieman Lab, the National Press Journalism Club Institute, and Editor & Publisher.

A Harvey native, Amethyst is a Brooks Middle School (’11) and Thornton Township High School alum (‘15) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from NYU (BA’19). She is an alumna of the Data and Policy Summer Scholar program at the University of Chicago.

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