Chicago’s immigrant communities are bracing for immigration curbs

Tom Homan: Is It Suppressed by ICE Agents? — A Chicagoan in the Cold: Implications for the Public Safety of Migrants

The last few days have been freezing cold in Chicago, even by local standards. The people are bundled up against the cold in the Little Village neighborhood. clips of President Trump’s inauguration ceremony are playing at a half empty restaurant on the main street.

A waitress named Caridad looks at the door whenever it opens. “I’m scared that they will be the one,” she said, referring toICE agents.

In his inauguration speech President Donald Trump promised to “begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.”

On Tuesday, Tom Homan told CNN that deportation actions would start today and focus on migrants who are considered a public safety threat. Even though he warned that all migrant without legal status could be arrested and deported, he also warned that people in sanctuary cities like Chicago could be arrested and deported.

Last year, Homan warned Democrats not to interfere. “Help us protect you,” he said during a speech to Chicago Republicans. If you don’t, get out of the way.

The Battle of Little Village: A Mexican Refugee Community for the First Victims of Chicago’s Immigration Raid and the Loss of Their Families

Over the weekend, plans that some immigrants living in Chicago without legal status would be among the first targeted were leaked. Over the last couple of years, the city has attracted national attention because of the large numbers of migrants from Venezuela and their testing of its ability to respond. The number of arrivals has fallen sharply.

Little Village, or La Villita as its residents call it, is a historically Mexican immigrant community. “It is one of the largest commercial corridors here in the city, and the biggest Mexican community here in the Midwest,” says Jennifer Aguilar, executive director of the Little Village Chamber of Commerce. “We have over a thousand businesses, over 100 restaurants.” Some of them are not looked at by her office. Sparkling quinceañera shops, botanica stores with saints adorning the windows. “This corridor is always busy with activity and right now it seems almost like a ghost town.”

One woman named Yessenia, a bartender for private events in the city, says in the last few weeks she and her family have assembled a detailed plan. She asked that her last name be kept quiet for fear of reprisal, she was a non-citizen worker who qualified for deferred work action which protects her from exploitative employers. Her name is in the system, which could make her a target for removal.

Caridad says she’s seen her community become anxious in the days leading up to the inauguration. “It’s more than fear, it’s panic,” she says. She still goes to work every day, but she feels a bit uneasy. “In these last few weeks, I get home from work and I thank God I made it.”

Brandon Johnson told A Martnez that he protects residents regardless of their status, whether they’re seeking a good paying job or not.

Immigrant advocates have been preparing for months. They have dealt with immigration raids before, but this time it feels different for everyone involved. Caridad believes that across the country they hate us. They reject us and hate us.

“We are fighting, we are not running, what we are telling people is,” says Mujica who works with the non-profit Arise Chicago. In order to fight, you have to know how to fight. You have to be prepared. You have to have the famous red card.”

Red cards are palm-sized cards distributed by immigration advocates to migrants, which they can hand over to ICE agents in the event of a raid. I am giving you a card because I don’t want you to have any contact with me again,” the card reads. “I choose to exercise my constitutional right to remain silent and refuse to answer your questions. If you arrest me, I will still be exercising my constitutional right.

Why America is Great. The Mexican immigrant community brace for immigration crackdowns: Yessenia, 37, and her daughter Laura

Yessenia is 37 years old. She was originally from Mexico. The youngest of her children are US citizens. Everyone has to check in every five hours under the family’s new rules. Ask your friends if someone doesn’t report. If no one has seen the person, start looking on the immigration website,” she explains.

Laura, who asked that her last name be kept confidential because she is worried about being targeted, said she considered closing the restaurant. But employees like Caridad asked her not to.

She says staying open has made her line in the sand. Laura herself is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Being an immigrant is not a shame. People want to put shame upon us. And it’s not what we are. And it’s not who we are. This is the reason why America is great. The immigrants.”

Source: Chicago’s immigrant communities brace for immigration crackdowns

How We Live, How We Eat, and How We Can Make the Most of the City, And Why We Shouldn’t Leave the House

She thinks she’s lost some 30% of her clients in the last week or so. She hears from people who just don’t want to leave the house. At lunch, some customers trickle in. Every time the door opens, Caridad looks up, alarmed.

The younger staff, they could run to the kitchen, but she says she’s too old. “I could fall.” And immigration advocates have advised them not to. “It’s worse if you run. I’m not a criminal.

That’s how we build a better, stronger city, and that’s how we provide a more inclusive economy. In this moment, that should be the focus of the president.

Undocumented Families and Immigrants in Chicago – How to Protect the Right to Private and Sensitive Locations

Johnson: Those individuals would be subject to the law. The federal law provides that type of investigation. Remember, this has happened under previous administrations. Whether it’s President Obama or President Biden, this is not anything new. I think what President Trump is attempting to do is make us feel fear and tension in this country. And that’s not what we need right now. We need someone who’s going to be committed to standing up for working people. That’s what I’m doing in Chicago, building more affordable homes, creating opportunities for our young people, providing more access to health care, particularly behavioral mental health care. The investments have led to a decrease in crime in our city.

Johnson was in D.C. with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. And I’ve spoken to the mayor of Denver, spoken to the mayor of Atlanta. There are very many mayors in red states that know that their economy is affected by people who are in the country illegally. And whether you are in St. Louis, whether you’re in Kansas City or Baltimore or anywhere else in this country, the contributions that undocumented families and immigrant families have provided to our economy is one that is quite clear.

Johnson: The law that we have passed in Chicago, our welcoming city ordinance, as well as Illinois Trust Act, gives us the authority to ensure that in sensitive places and public accommodations, that there are rights that these individuals have. We’re going to make sure we protect those rights.

Martínez: Mayor, I know that you released guidelines on how to handle visits from ICE should they enter city property. One thing caught my attention. There is no consent from city employees for ICE to enter any private or sensitive locations. What are private and sensitive locations?

Brandon Johnson: The city of Chicago has a great love story, and it’s very proud of it. It’s a city that was established by a Black Haitian immigrant, as well as a Pottawattamie woman. And it’s a city that has been built by, again, immigrants, migrants, asylum seekers, Indigenous people, descendants of slaves. I vow to defend the Illinois Trust Act as a sanctuary state in order to ensure that all residents rights are protected. We’re serving the interests of working people in this city all the time.

Source: Chicago immigrant residents are in Trump’s sights. The mayor says he’ll defend them

Immigrant rights activists: educating the immigrant residents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (IHEHE)

The immigrant rights activists are educating the immigrant residents of the legal rights they can have if they are questioned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.