José 'Che-Che' Wilson Has Two Family Members Displaced By ICE
The IL 12th District Cook County Commissioner candidate has not heard from his Great Uncle in six months
José “Che-Che” Wilson is an experienced Chicago public health official and LGBTQ+ rights activist who currently serves as the Director of Civic Engagement for Equality Illinois. And he is taking that experience to the ballot box, as he is running for the Illinois 12th District Cook County Board seat and has been endorsed by the progressive organizing powerhouse Run For Something.
Beyond his many current and potential titles, the most important one he carries is that of the son of an immigrant Chicago family.
During his recent Guerrilla Press appearance, Wilson was asked by co-host Nick Hausman how he felt about ICE’s apparent withdrawal from Minneapolis and if he fears a revival of activity in Chicago.
“Something that’s really been sitting with me for the last six months is my great uncle,” he began. “He was arrested and deported in Florida. He has mental health problems. He’s 56 years old. We have not heard from him. They deported him to Guerrero. We are from Durango, which is a totally different state, and we have yet to find him.
“And you know? And this is just one case, right? You know what is happening? One of my cousins, their brother-in-law, was the one who was arrested at Old Irving Park when they were having the children’s Halloween parade, and then he was processed at Broadview and then taken to Michigan immediately.
“He is undocumented. He’s not done anything bad, but when he wanted to self-deport because of the atrocities he was witnessing at the prison, the Mexican consulate intervened, and he said, ‘Can you please give us back this Mexican citizen?’ The US government said, ‘No,’ and still is keeping him in that prison. And my question is, why?”
Co-host EJ Cameron pressed the young progressive on why he feels his cousin is still being held.
“Well, because of the prison industrial complex, right?” he replied. “Because you get money for having that person in prison.”
“AKA modern slavery,” Cameron shot back.
“Well, yes,” said Wilson, eliciting uncomfortable laughter in the room. “Like I said, it’s really personal. It’s really, it really hits home. At the same time, we have to stay strong.”
Wilson’s full interview is available on the Guerrilla Press YouTube channel, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms.
Guerrilla Press’ Run For Something series continues this Sunday night at The Annoyance Theatre. It will feature RFS-endorsed candidates, Sangamon County Board candidate Miguel Valente, and Miguel Alvelo Rivera, candidate for the 40th District State Representative seat.
Tickets are available at www.TheAnnoyance.com.