The Trump administration has planned “post-inauguration” immigration raids in Chicago and other sanctuary cities, according to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The potential raids have students preparing.
The plan involves the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sending between 100 and 200 officers to carry out large-scale immigration raids, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Initially, the raids in Chicago were expected to begin Tuesday and last until the following Monday. However, when the plan was reported by news media outlets, Tom Homan, President Donald J. Trump’s “border czar,” said no decision had been made but Chicago was “not off the table,” according to The New York Times.
“(The potential raids) break my heart. I used to be undocumented and I have family who’s undocumented, and once again, it’s disappointing,” said Maria Jose Arango, a Medill junior and co-president of Northwestern’s Advancement for the Undocumented Community. “I feel a lot of grief seeing how people in power, once again, fail to protect all individuals and to protect everyone in our communities.”
After hearing about the potential ICE raids, Weinberg junior Grace Yu said she wanted to inform students about these raids, tell them what their rights are and provide resources and support.
Last Friday, Yu held an anti-deportation educational event about ICE to disperse information about potential ICE raids in the Chicago area. The event provided time for students — especially first-generation and low-income students — to talk about ICE and what their rights are, Yu said.
“I talked to quite a lot of people who, before they talked to me, didn’t realize that was something that was going down at all,” Yu said. “Not everyone comes across that stuff even if they do keep up with the news.”
Yu said she shared articles from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post about the raids and provided students with resources on and off campus that they could look to for more information.
One resource Yu highlighted was Red Cards, which help people assert their rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution when dealing with immigration agents. These cards come in many different languages and list some of a person’s constitutional rights including their right to not open a door or speak to an immigration agent.
“If ICE randomly stops you, then they have to have a good reason for doing so,” Yu said. “Resembling a certain ethnicity is not a good enough reason.”
Yu stressed the importance of having hotline numbers saved to students’ phones, including the hotline for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, in the case that they are detained by ICE or want to report any suspected ICE sightings.
Yu said students are distressed about these potential raids, especially if they are undocumented or know people who are undocumented.
“There’s been a general air of anxiety and distress and fear among students, and so knowing about what’s going on as much as possible, and preparing ourselves really helps,” Yu said. “It’s important for us as a student community to be able to support each other.”
In the coming quarter, Weinberg junior and co-President of AUC Yoel Sanchez said the AUC is planning to host more events similar to their “Know Your Rights” event with the HANA Center Jan. 15. The event provided students with information about warrants to the type of uniform ICE agents wear, which Sanchez said is even more important to know now.
Sanchez said the AUC is hoping to expand its services to students on campus, especially legal services.
“I think the question for some students on campus who are undocumented is, ‘What can they do?’” Sanchez said. “(AUC) is part of bringing the University to have the resources for these students.”
With the new Trump administration, Sanchez said these types of immigration raids are expected. He said the potential raids will limit undocumented people’s ability to “have their voice heard.”
The undocumented community is also often overlooked when they need help the most, he said.
“During these times, it’s very challenging for a person to even want to expose themselves to seek out help,” Sanchez said. “I think the most important thing we can really do is just make sure that people know that there are communities out there where people can go find help.”
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