FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2025
Media Contact: Dylan Manshack, dmanshack@cwa-union.org | (202) 445-4033
CHICAGO – Today, a federal judge barred Department of Homeland Security agents, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs & Border Patrol, from using force against journalists and protesters who don’t pose a threat to agents. A full copy of the lawsuit and restraining order can be found here.
“This is good news, and it would not have happened if we had not stood up for our members alongside the unionized journalists of NABET Local 41, the Chicago Headline Club, Block Club Chicago and others in a federal lawsuit,” said Andy Grimm, president of The Chicago NewsGuild.
“Just like any court order, we will have to enforce it. If you are hit with pepper balls, harassed by DHS agents, tear gassed, hit with rubber bullets, threatened, grabbed or otherwise subjected to force or intimidation while doing your job, let us know immediately,” Grimm said.
“We are grateful for Judge Ellis issuing a temporary restraining order making it clear that the government cannot use riot control weapons on journalists, media workers, peaceful protestors and members of the clergy,” said Jon Schleuss, president of The NewsGuild-CWA.
“Journalism is not a crime. Every American must loudly condemn the Trump administration’s assault on our First Amendment rights.”
Earlier this summer, The NewsGuild-CWA joined forces with the LA Press Club and the ACLU SoCal to sue DHS and hold federal agents accountable for brutalizing journalists during recent unrest in Los Angeles spurred by the Trump administration’s crack down on the city. The court sided with The NewsGuild-CWA and Judge Vera declared that “The First Amendment demands better.”
This order is the second major ruling that makes clear journalists have a right to do their jobs safely to bring us the news we deserve without government interference. The NewsGuild-CWA will continue to defend the workers who shine a light on our democracy and hold power to account.
##
About The Chicago NewsGuild
The Chicago NewsGuild, TNG-CWA Local 34071, unites 600+ journalists, court interpreters, and mission-driven staff across Chicagoland newsrooms, nonprofits and unions in the fight for fair workplaces and an informed public.
About The NewsGuild-CWA
The NewsGuild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933, representing over 27,000 members in newsrooms, online publications, and non-profit organizations across the country, including about a thousand journalists and media workers in California newsrooms.