Local religious and political leaders declared Lake Street Church of Evanston as a public sanctuary for immigrants fearing deportation at an interfaith event Monday.
Rev. Michael Woolf, senior minister of the Lake Street Church, delivered the opening speech and facilitated the event. The church, which currently offers shelter to people without homes from October to May, now plans to provide short-term emergency shelter to immigrants in need.
Woolf said Lake Street’s decision to offer shelter was passed in a unanimous vote. He proclaimed that the church stands in solidarity with all those who fear deportation and is willing to use all its resources to protect them. According to Woolf, the temporary shelter will accommodate 30 to 50 individuals.
“We make this announcement so that those who are in fear know that they have a place, a physical structure, God’s house, to turn to,” Woolf said. “It’s important that they know they are not alone.”
Since President Donald Trump’s election and subsequent inauguration, fears of deportation have heightened among the immigrant population. The administration announced it would no longer regard churches, among other locations, as “safe spaces” with limited immigration enforcement.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spearheaded its “enhanced targeted operations” program in Chicago Sunday, sparking further concern. Television host Phil McGraw, who accompanied the raids, told the Chicago Tribune that ICE targeted people with criminal records in the U.S. without legal authorization.
At Lake Street’s event, speakers of various faiths were present, including Rev. Jason Coulter of First Congregational Church Evanston; Sheikh Hassan Aly, Imam and director of Humanitarian Faith Initiative at Med Global; Rabbi Rachel Weiss of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation; Jhonathan F. Gómez, co-director of Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America and more.
Mayor Daniel Biss was also a speaker at the event.
Aly emphasized the sacredness of human life and the fundamental right of safety for every individual. He referenced Evanston’s Welcoming City Ordinance, commending it as a testament to the city’s commitment to protecting its residents. The ordinance was recently amended by City Council to boost noncompliance with federal deportation efforts, among other changes.
“(The Welcoming City Ordinance) says to those who live in fear, ‘You belong here,’” Aly said. “It’s more than a policy. It’s a promise that Evanston will not be following any injustice.”
Aly urged all people present to be the “hands and efforts” that transform words into actions. He added that the morning event should serve as a call to action for all.
Coulter, the last speaker, spoke about his children and the various ways in which the Chicago public schools they attend are preparing for potential ICE raids. He noted that schools had reassured families via email that a warrant would be required for ICE to gain entry to their premises.
The email also detailed upcoming “know your rights” sessions hosted by the school and advised immigrant children to develop contingency plans with their parents in case either were to be forcibly separated or deported.
“(My daughters) asked, ‘Dad, what will we do if one of our classmates is taken from us? What should we do? How should we respond?’” Coulter said. “I wanted to tell them it was not going to happen … but I could not in conscience say that to them.”
Coulter ended his speech by encouraging attendees to stand alongside immigrant communities and fight back for families and the nation.
Weinberg Prof. Kyla Ebels-Duggan, a member of the Reba Place Church, attended the event. Although Ebels-Duggan speculated that Evanston itself will not be high on ICE’s target list, she said that gives the city a more important role to serve as a safe space for immigrants.
Ebels-Duggan added that she thinks it’s helpful for the faith community to stand up and declare its commitment to protect its neighbors. She also underscored a need to keep spreading information.
“I think (spreading information) is certainly one thing we can do and really into the hands of people who are vulnerable to deportation, but really into the hands of anyone who is sympathetic,” Ebels-Duggan said. “I think the more the community is informed, the more we can, at a minimum, hold the federal operations within the range of the law.”
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