When an Evanston restaurant owner first heard about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents coming to the Chicago area, she hoped to provide reassurance for her employees. She printed out posters — downloaded pages outlining people’s rights and how to respond to federal agents — to hang in the kitchen and put up signs prohibiting entrance into private areas.
“In the beginning, I was naive enough to think like this was actually going to help protect them,” said the owner, who requested anonymity for fear of putting her business and employees at risk.
As reports of escalation spread, containing details of federal agents acting without warrants and people being detained based on their appearance, she began to realize that her preparation wasn’t enough.
With increased ICE activity in Evanston and surrounding areas, city residents have mobilized in various ways to support vulnerable community members.
In October, City Council adopted a resolution prohibiting the use of city property in federal civil immigration operations. The resolution also calls for city staff to print and disseminate signage to mark areas of private property as off-limits to civil immigration enforcement activities.
Now that Evanston has declared itself an ‘ICE-free zone,’ local businesses are deciding how to respond — and what support looks like.
For Valerie Kahan, founder of Art Makers Outpost, visible solidarity is only one part of a broader push to prepare businesses and residents alike for potential immigration crackdowns.
Kahan recently hosted a WhistleMania workshop, where volunteers assembled whistle kits with information about how to respond to federal immigration agent sightings.
“I’m certainly encouraging every business, especially restaurants, right now to do a KYR (Know Your Rights) official training for their entire staff to ensure that they do have a plan,” Kahan said.
Kahan also organized a video featuring local business and faith leaders speaking out against ICE activity. More than two dozen people from local businesses, non-profits and faith communities convened in James Park last Tuesday morning to participate.
Evanston’s European Wax Center has a sign on its door that reads “No Kings. No ICE. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here.”
“We do have a few guests that come from an immigrant background, and they do feel safe to know that we do have that poster there,” Melissa Dominguez, the center’s sales director, said.
According to Dominguez, the center’s employees have taken notes from customers and other businesses on how to keep both employees and customers safe. A customer recently came in and gave the store a whistle, Dominguez said, and the business is utilizing a “buddy system” for its employees to make sure they don’t leave the center alone.
About three weeks ago, the wife of a former dishwasher at the aforementioned local restaurant was taken by ICE from a Chicago laundromat, according to the anonymous owner.
The owner also voiced concern about whether hanging signs in their establishment’s windows would draw unwanted attention from federal law enforcement.
“Are we drawing attention? Are ICE going to drive by in Evanston and say, ‘Let’s start targeting them. They have immigrants. Their kitchen’s full of people that may be undocumented?’” she said. “So it’s walking that fine line of saying, ‘I want to be here in support, but I’m not going to make a statement because I’m not going to use my name.’”
Local businesses have begun using Signal, a secure messaging platform, to keep each other in the loop about ICE sightings in the area, she said.
Every time there’s an update in the Signal group, the restaurant owner shares the update with her employees. She has also established a system where more vulnerable employees are paired with coworkers to coordinate errands, school pick-ups and other daily needs, she added.
“We cannot be silent,” the owner said. “It’s not fear of repercussions for myself. It’s fear of repercussions for my people… I’m not gonna live in fear in that capacity for myself, but I do live in fear that I don’t want my actions to call attention to them and cause a raid.”
Not all businesses have been directly affected by ICE operations, but anxiety is widespread even for those that remain untouched.
One business owner, who also asked not to be named out of fear of drawing attention to his community, said other Evanston business owners they know have seen significant impacts — especially those in the food service industry.
According to him, the losses have forced some business owners to focus their attention on filling staffing gaps in the kitchen.
He explained that although the city’s customer base has largely remained insulated from ICE activity, many workers are more vulnerable. He added that many vulnerable Evanston employees are based in surrounding municipalities, making it difficult for them “to come and go peacefully without thinking about the route.”
He also noted that given Evanston’s demographics of mostly students and older residents, it is more difficult to find workers than in other cities.
A-1 Tailor owner Luis Puma said two of his employees are anxious and on high alert, despite having work permits. One of them constantly watches the door when customers enter, he said.
“If I lose one of those employees, it’s going to be tough for me to keep in business,” Puma said.
A neighbor offered Puma a sign that reads, “Federal agents do not have consent to enter.” He said he agreed to put it up because ICE is looking for “(his) color, (his) skin.”
He added that recent immigration enforcement activity may affect larger businesses too, since many people who have been detained and deported play a role in the economy.
“I’m thinking not only about small business, but also big business,” Puma said. “Most of those people have loans… they have houses… and banks, of course, are involved in this problem.”
Kelly Mack, the owner of Mack’s Bikes and Goods, said she hasn’t seen the metal scrappers who usually come by for spare parts lately.
Her store provides Know Your Rights cards at the register, as well as stickers with the SALUTE acronym in both English and Spanish, according to Mack, as well as signage on the front door. She’s received mixed reactions from some customers about these decisions.
“We’re open to having conversations with everybody and just welcoming that dialogue, but remaining firm on what’s happening right now is wrong,” she said.
For other businesses, the emphasis has been on providing flexibility to their customers where they can.
Link Physical Therapy is trying to help “people feel safe at home” by offering virtual appointments and being as flexible as possible, according to owner Dr. Suzanne Badillo.
“We come from immigrants as well, and we feel like we’re at risk. And so we see our family affected. We see our community members affected, our neighbors,” Badillo said. “A lot of our patients come, live and work in the community, and they come in with a lot of stress, a lot of fear.”
Badillo said she has discussed response plans both with her employees and her family in the event of an escalated encounter with federal agents.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, the restaurant owner recently heard one of her employees express anxiety about shopping for holiday groceries. She said this is where she can step in to help.
Similar small acts of support have become methods for managing uncertainty.
For Dominguez, the fear is personal, too. She said she now carries her passport with her, along with her children’s birth certificates and IDs. These precautions have become part of her daily routine.
“It’s just kind of always walking out the door just saying, ‘Okay, we’re gonna just take this one day at a time,’” Dominguez said. “It’s a scary time right now… just about hoping this all goes away, but taking it day by day.”
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