U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are not welcome in Evanston, Mayor Daniel Biss wrote in an emailed message to residents Friday.
He urged community members to educate themselves about efforts to keep people safe. Art Makers Outpost and other community members are hosting a meeting Friday from 5-8 p.m. at 609 South Blvd. to prepare materials — including whistles — and share advocacy tips, Biss wrote. A Know Your Rights event is also being planned for the next few weeks, he added.
“In this extreme moment, we all must do what we can to keep our neighbors safe,” the message reads.
Federal agents detained one person at an Oakton Street Home Depot around 10:35 a.m., according to an Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights text alert sent Friday morning. The alert said agents were seen driving a black Chevy SUV.
The city has taken efforts to protect residents against federal agents, including strengthening its Welcoming City ordinance and creating ‘ICE free zones’ on city property.
“In short: ICE is not welcome in Evanston,” Biss wrote.
He added that residents who witness ICE activity should call the ICIRR hotline at 855-435-7693. Community members can also sign up for ICIRR’s Eyes on ICE Text Network for updates on ICE activity in the area, he wrote.
The email linked additional resources from the National Immigrant Justice Center, Illinois Immigration Information and The Resurrection Project.
Biss’ message follows a growth in ICE activity in the city. At least one person in Evanston was taken by federal immigration agents Thursday morning, Biss wrote in an X post the same day.
An ICIRR text alert sent earlier Thursday said federal agents were spotted at Dodge Avenue and Oakton Street — adjacent to Dawes Elementary School — around 8:50 a.m. Agents were seen driving a black Chevy and a silver Hyundai Elantra, the alert reads. ICE agents had previously been seen by residents in the area by the Home Depot on Oakton Street on Oct. 12. In an X post the same day, Biss confirmed ICE took multiple community members.
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 later that week.
“These are terrifying, enraging, and heartbreaking times for our city, our region, and our nation,” Biss’ Friday email reads. “Yet I have seen firsthand the immense power of solidarity and the unbreakable spirit of this community.”
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the organizers of the community event. The Daily regrets this error.
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