A coalition of local elected officials, led by State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) and advocacy groups, including the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, held a community workshop in Lovelace Park on Sunday in response to continued federal immigration crackdowns in the Chicago area.
Around 150 people attended the session, titled “Together For Our Neighbors: People’s Defense Workshop.” The event included updates from mutual aid and legal organizations, and advocacy groups fielded questions on a variety of topics, such as whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are required to read detainees their Miranda rights and to what extent local police are barred from cooperating with immigration enforcement.
After the event, several organizers and attendees traveled to the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, which has been the site of confrontations between protesters, political candidates and Department of Homeland Security agents.
Fine, who is running to replace U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, said her office has received an influx of messages from residents concerned about immigration raids in the district.
“Today, we heard that somebody was taken from the Home Depot in Evanston,” Fine said. “We had landscapers who were taken across the street from Glenbrook South High School when school was in session. This is happening in our communities with our friends, our neighbors, the people we shop with at the grocery store, the families that our kids go to school with.”
In an X post, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss confirmed ICE was present in Evanston on Sunday morning. Multiple community members were taken, and ICE was also present in Rogers Park, according to the post.
The Department of Homeland Security also arrested an individual in Evanston near the intersection of Church Street and Brown Avenue on Sept. 10, according to a city statement released later that week.
Fine said she is optimistic that the Illinois General Assembly will pass new restrictions on ICE agents when it reconvenes Tuesday.
Jewish Child and Family Services Chicago also participated to highlight the effect of ICE raids on mental health, Skokie resident and JCFS CEO Stacey Shor said.
“What we see happening is, for people who may be directly impacted, there’s increased isolation,” Shor said. “They’re afraid to leave their homes. People are afraid to go about their business.”
Organizers also collected food donations for communities affected by the raids. The concrete tiles around the speakers had “God Bless Democracy” and “Love Thy Neighbor” written on them in chalk.
Chicago resident Carter Cleland, an activist with the anti-war group Chicago Area Peace Action, held a sign reading “Jail Bibi” on one side and with a symbol of the “No Kings” movement on the other.
Cleland said he has hosted weekly rallies in Wilmette for the last eight months to protest against President Donald Trump, the Israel-Hamas war and climate change. Attending this workshop was another element of that activism, Cleland said.
Ben Isabel, Fine’s chief of staff, told the crowd that “no human being is illegal,” prompting cheers from attendees. Before introducing Fine, he emphasized that Chicago is a city of immigrants.
“Our immigrant neighbors are our coworkers, our classmates, our friends and our family,” Isabel said. “They deserve safety, dignity and the full protection of their rights.”
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