Rogers Park Supporting Immigrant Community Amid ICE Arrests

As President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan picks up in Chicago, Loyola and Rogers Park are responding to the ongoing increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the city.

Over 100 people have been arrested in the Chicago area since the Trump administration’s crackdown began, according to Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling. Despite the arrests, Mayor Brandon Johnson reaffirmed Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city according to ABC7 Chicago. 

Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) said she finds the situation concerning, as the 49th Ward maintains a strong community of immigrants — both documented and undocumented. The presence of many immigrant families is one of the things Hadden said makes Rogers Park great. 

Hadden said the threat of deportation is creating an atmosphere of fear, leaving many people afraid to take their kids to school, set up their businesses or simply step outside. 

“It really erodes our sense of community,” Hadden said. “It’s not good for the city, certainly not good for the country and definitely hard on individuals and their families.”

Along with 39 fellow City Council members, Hadden voted to reject a proposal modifying the city’s Welcoming City Ordinance, which prohibits CPD from assisting with ICE enforcement actions. The ordinance also ensures undocumented immigrants aren’t prosecuted solely because of their immigration status. 

Hadden said the ordinance is one safeguard against racial profiling and other civil rights violations.

“There are a lot of people who are first and second and third generation immigrants.” Hadden said. “Maybe you’re dressed in something that has an enforcement agent thinking that you don’t belong here, and now you’ve got to worry about law enforcement questioning your right to be here”

In response to heightened concerns, Hadden said she’s taking protective measures to navigate any potential disruptions community members may come across. 

To keep pace with the change in presidential administration, Hadden said she encourages Loyola students to pay attention to what’s happening in the news and to get involved with student or community organizations. 

“It can be hard to keep up with all of it,” Hadden said. “These changes aren’t just about people’s immigration status. There’s not a person they won’t impact.”

Loyola’s Vice President for Student Development, Keith Champagne, released a statement Jan. 20 supporting undocumented students. Suggestions for students in the statement included attending a “Know Your Rights” seminar, carrying identification when in public, and seeking advice from a professional immigration attorney if necessary. 

“We wanted to remind people of the support and resources available to help them navigate the uncertainty and care for themselves and one another,” Champagne wrote in an email to the Phoenix.

Third-year elementary education and teaching major Aniqa Jewa, who works as the lead intern for Loyola’s Undocumented Student Program, said her work focuses on reducing the barriers which could potentially impact the support and inclusion of undocumented students. 

She said there are also challenges regarding trust within the undocumented student community.

“A lot of times undocumented students don’t really know where to go,” Jewa said. “It’s kind of like a slippery slope as to who they can tell about their status.”

Jewa said the program has historically experienced low attendance, which she believes stems from concerns of potentially exposing one’s immigration status. The news of ICE operations has worsened student turnout, according to Jewa.

“Two to three people that I know have told me directly that they were at the Armory or going to school, and then ICE officers came and tried to ask them questions,” Jewa said. “It’s even more of an issue with these policies in place.”

Intern for the Undocumented Student Program Oteju Tofa shared a similar sentiment. She said the recent political climate has made students reluctant to accept the program’s resources. 

Tofa said she called on senior faculty and staff to start educating themselves on things like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewals and undocumented student advocacy.

“It’s all about just doing the best you can,” Tofa said. “I just want students to know we have their back and they’re not alone in this process.”

The 49th Ward office is currently collaborating with Protect RP, a nonprofit which formed in 2016 and has reemerged in response to the current ICE activity. 

A representative of Protect RP, who requested to remain anonymous, said the organization has a multi-pronged approach toward safeguarding migrants, where volunteers are trained to engage in ICE Watch — a communication system which notifies people in surrounding areas of ICE raids through non-interfering documentation. 

“We don’t want people getting arrested or injured,” the representative said. “But to show support after ICE leaves, those folks still need legal resources or other community support resources.”

The organization is connected through legal aid resources throughout Chicago, and the representative said they’re lucky to have already built network connections with other nonprofits during Trump’s previous administration.

A major shift from the new Trump administration is the removal of policies limiting migrant arrests at “sensitive” locations, like churches and schools, The AP reported.

Fears of ICE raids around schools were raised Jan. 24 when reports arose of agent activity at Hamlin Elementary School in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on Chicago’s Southwest side. The reports were later disproved as the officials belonged to the U.S. secret service, according to The Chicago Tribune. 

However, the representative said similar situations are of concern in Rogers Park, especially with the number of undocumented immigrants. 

“We’ve already made contact with all the principals to basically help them connect with their Know Your Rights training,” the representative said. “I know CPS is doing things as well on their own end, which is great, but we’re providing back-end support for parents and students with people who we can connect with quicker than CPS probably could at times.”

A teacher who works with immigrant children at a local nonprofit, and who requested to remain anonymous, said it’s important to stay informed about the federal deportation policies in order to spread awareness of the recent changes. 

“Don’t underestimate how scary this is for people,” the teacher said. “People are getting taken away from their families, taken away from their jobs, taken away from everything they’ve known.”

The teacher said the changes have created confusion and fear, especially among children and parents. Since news of ICE activity began circulating, school attendance has gone down, according to the teacher. In addition, students are struggling to rationalize their position in the current events. 

She said some students use humor to process the situation among classmates, while others show signs of confusion. One student, misunderstanding the purpose of a “Know Your Rights” flyer, tore it up upon learning it was related to immigration, according to the teacher.

“I don’t know how much their parents are telling them,” the teacher said. “It’s hard to know as an educator because what can you do to protect the people that you’re responsible for?”

The teacher said in order to bring comfort and confidence to those at higher risk of encountering ICE, recommendations were given to students and community members, including showing empathy and keeping up to date on the news.

Other recommended resources included Red Cards, which are multilingual, printed-out directions on how to handle interactions with ICE agents, as well as a website to learn the difference between judicial and administrative warrants. 
The 49th Ward office is also distributing “Know Your Rights” flyers and information to connect people with Protect RP, which are both available in Hadden’s Jan. 18 newsletter.