The Chicago Teachers Union on Wednesday discussed their next steps in lengthy contract talks with Chicago Public Schools. CPS and CTU have begun fact-finding hearings this week, a required stage in negotiations before the union can legally go on strike.

Chicago Public Schools prevented officers from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement from going into an elementary school on Chicago’s Southwest Side Friday and talking to students, according

Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union are reaching a stalemate in negotiations. Chicago teachers are no strangers to strikes: The last three contracts with Chicago Public Schools landed after the teachers walked off the job. "To force our hand to take a strike vote is a very cruel and mean joke," CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said.

Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union sent a letter reaffirming their commitment to being a sanctuary place for all students, parents, and employees.

The teachers union and district officials have used a fact-finding process three times since 2010 and twice, it ended in a strike.

The current seven-person Chicago school board, with members all selected by Mayor Brandon Johnson, will switch Wednesday to 20 board members and a president.

However, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it was not their agency that attempted to enter the school.

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates says a fact-finding process underway now is “stacked against” the CTU, opening the door for a strike as early as March.

Teachers and other school workers, who are determined to fight against years of austerity and lost purchasing power, must reject the illusions peddled by CTU leaders about the supposed “transformative” contract.

The union has asked CPS to correct the reported salary issues and give them back pay. It is also asking the district to “perform a system-wide salary audit” and “review and implement changes” to the payroll and staffing services departments so that concerns about pay are “responded to and resolved within contractual timelines.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to enter Hamline Elementary School on Friday, according to a Chicago Public Schools official.

President Donald Trump's administration is ramping up its efforts to find and deport undocumented immigrants in Chicago. A new directive could lead to the mayor and other local officials possibly facing arrest due to sanctuary city laws.