Immigration advocates rallied Sunday for an end to aggressive U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Chicago and denounced the alleged cooperation of Chicago police in arrests made Wednesday.
The rally, which drew dozens of people to a plaza at the corner of Blue Island Avenue and Loomis Street, follows nationwide protests during the past week over the Trump administration’s revamped mass deportation efforts.
Trump has deployed the California National Guard in Los Angeles following two consecutive days of protests over immigration enforcement actions and clashes between demonstrators and authorities. Chicago and other liberal-leaning cities appear to continue to be a focal point for the Trump administration in its immigration crackdown.
“I’m proud to be an immigrant, and we are not criminals,” said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, whose ward includes the Lower West Side. “We saw the shameful events in our city early this week, and we continue to see the shameful actions in Los Angeles. Full solidarity to all the people in L.A., all the oppressed people who are fighting for dignity and respect.”
Light rain in the forecast did not dampen the spirits of demonstrators, who led a march down Cermak Road following the rally, ending at Benito Juarez Community Academy.
Last week, protesters, local organizers and aldermen — including Sigcho-Lopez — clashed with immigration officials outside a U.S. Customs and Immigration office in the South Loop, where immigrants were told to come to a check-in appointment at the office. Many did not come out for hours. Organizers estimate that around 20 people were detained Wednesday. ICE did not respond to requests to confirm the number of people detained.
“These are people that are doing everything that the U.S. is saying that they should be doing to become a citizen and to be able to stay in this country,” Omar Flores, chair of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said Sunday. “And we are arresting them for it. It is leaving them in a position where it is a catch-22, where they have no option but to be deported.”
In Pilsen last Monday, federal agents arrested two residents who work at a local business near the 1800 block of South Carpenter Street. Agents failed to properly identify themselves or present arrest warrants in those incidents, according to Sigcho-Lopez and local rapid response teams.
Little Village residents also spotted ICE agents on the corner of Troy and 27th streets Tuesday. Flores said that rapid response teams received word of suspicious vehicles in Little Village and acted accordingly, observing the ICE agents and having lawyers on-site.
Organizers who were at Wednesday’s demonstration alleged that the Chicago Police Department was collaborating with ICE in the raid despite Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, which largely prevents local law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities.
Chicago police deny they aided federal agents. Tom Ahern, spokesperson for CPD, previously stated that officers present Wednesday spoke with individuals inside a building and in a large crowd outside “to ensure the safety of all involved, including those exercising their First Amendment rights.”
“Officers arrived without knowledge of immigration enforcement occurring at the location,” Ahern said. “At no point did CPD assist in immigration enforcement. All actions taken by CPD during this incident were in accordance with CPD policy and the City of Chicago Municipal Code.”
Members of the City Council’s Latino Caucus denounced Wednesday’s raid in a letter and called for a hearing to examine ICE’s actions Wednesday and whether CPD cooperated with ICE in the raid.
“We condemn in the strongest terms ICE’s unlawful detainment practices,” the statement from Latino Caucus members read. “We stand united in calling for a full investigation into the conduct of ICE agents involved in this operation and for the immediate release of all individuals detained under these unlawful circumstances.”
The Associated Press contributed.
