If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Divergent author Veronica Roth doesn't mince her words about the current situation in Chicago: "Get the hell out, ICE"

"Immigrants built Chicago" she told her panel at New York Comic Con 2025.

Allegient Screenshot — Image credit: Lionsgate

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Fri Oct 10 2025

Popverse's top stories

DC K.O. to feature guest stars from Mortal Kombat, The Conjuring, The Boys, and more in 2026
TMNT has created new pizza toppings - lands in Magic: The Gathering
DC to finally let Swamp Thing meet Jesus Christ in new four-part restoration of a cancelled controversial 1989 storyline

Dystopian fiction, like the Divergent series, is always full of political statements: How did the world reach that point, and how did people let it happen? More importantly, what does that say about people everywhere? It shouldn’t be surprising that author Veronica Roth isn’t shy about her own political stances, such as when she shared her views on the actions of ICE and the Trump administration in Chicago at New York Comic Con 2025.

During her joint panel with fellow dystopian author Marie Lu, Veronica Roth talked about building the city of Chicago into a character for her book, When Among Crows, particularly its proud history of welcoming Polish immigrants. During the NYCC 2025 panel, Roth talked about how the city, which is her hometown, influenced the story. “The Chicago history appears a lot in When Among Crows because the creatures live for a long time,” she explained. “So a lot of them, like, came to Chicago when a lot of Polish people came to Chicago, which was after World War II. And so, researching how that immigration happened and how Polish people have, like, along with many waves of immigrants, built Chicago to be what it is now was a really rewarding research experience.”

Then, just to make sure that her views on immigration weren’t ambiguous, she added, “My big stance about Chicago is that immigrants built it, so get the hell out, ICE.”

No one can accuse Veronica Roth from being shy about putting her beliefs out there – as though they weren’t clear from reading her books.

New York Comic Con 2025 continues through Sunday, October 12.

Here's everything you need to enjoy New York Comic Con 2025:

About New York Comic Con

Welcome home, hero. This is your event where you can feel unafraid to geek out. Where you’re accepted and embraced for being yourself, regardless of your cultural background, physical ability, personal identity, or self-expression. Where you can experience the best in pop culture, be inspired, get star struck, treat yourself, and create all of those memories with the people you care about the most.