{"id":5063906,"date":"2025-05-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/illatinonews.com\/?p=5063906"},"modified":"2025-05-30T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T08:00:00","slug":"how-different-chicago-organizations-are-informationally-combating-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/2025\/05\/30\/how-different-chicago-organizations-are-informationally-combating-ice\/","title":{"rendered":"How different Chicago organizations are informationally combating ICE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the night of Jan. 26, the day that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) started making arrests across Chicago, Malena Quiroz, a Latina immigrant, was working at her night job. She was not scared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI [felt] prepared, especially as a member of Arise Chicago,\u201d she said. \u201cThey helped me- but not just me, others too- to know what our rights are, to be prepared and how to defend them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arise Chicago is one of several organizations across the city that have created Know Your Rights toolkits, informational documents, and packets that include \u201crights and tools\u201d about a person\u2019s immigration status. These toolkits are specifically geared toward what they should and should not do if confronted by an ICE officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arise is not the only group that has created this type of toolkit; the Mayor\u2019s Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights, the National Immigrant Justice Center, and the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icirr.org\/fsn\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights<\/a> are a few organizations that have also created similar resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A new threat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump signed a flurry of executive orders on his first day in office, targeting a crackdown on illegal immigration and deportation, giving the Department of Homeland Security and ICE the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/executive-order\/14165\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cfullest extent permitted by law\u201d <\/a>to detain undocumented immigrants living in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, ICE\u2019s nationwide <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/news\/2025\/04\/29\/100-days-making-america-safe-again\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deportations<\/a> have exceeded 142,000. However, some border experts dispute this claim, saying that \u201croughly\u201d 400 ICE deportation fights have taken off since Trump took office beginning of this year. With around 125 people per plane, a significant discrepancy is evident between the reported numbers by ICE and the 50,000 figure that experts cite.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arrests have taken place in cities including Buffalo, San Diego, Washington D.C., Boston, New York City, and Chicago, through ICE trying to make a right toward the current administration\u2019s goals that hasn\u2019t stopped them from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/floridaphoenix.com\/2025\/04\/17\/u-s-born-man-held-for-ice-under-floridas-new-anti-immigration-law\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">detaining legal U.S. citizens<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/kellerimmigration.com\/press\/david-keller-takes-lead-in-defending-fabian-schmidt-amid-viral-immigration-detention-case\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">green card holders<\/a>. On May 13, Block Club Chicago announced that it is <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blockclubchicago.org\/2025\/05\/13\/block-club-chicago-sues-ice-over-immigration-arrest-records\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">suing ICE<\/a> and Homeland Security for violating the Freedom of Information Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe current administration is violating constitutional rights on a daily basis,\u201d says Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward). \u201cThey do not respect due process, they are undermining the constitution, they\u2019re attacking First Amendment rights, and not only for undocumented residents, [but] now green card holders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arise Chicago, which has been operating since the early 1990s, specializes in informing unionized, non-unionized, and immigrant workers of their rights. In 2001, Arise created a workers\u2019 rights manual written in English, Spanish, and Polish, all at an eighth-grade reading level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arise concentrates its efforts in areas of the city with a high proportion of immigrant workers, including Pilsen, Back of the Yards, Little Village, and Brighton Park.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To Shelly Ruzicka, the communication and finance director at Arise Chicago, the threats of arrest are seen as an insult to immigrants. \u201cIt\u2019s a rather disgusting slap in the face and disrespect to people who kept this country running in so many ways and kept our economy running to say, now all of a sudden, \u2018You don\u2019t belong here,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arise started putting together the new toolkit immediately after the November 2024 election to prepare for the outcome of Trump\u2019s first days in office. They also held a \u201cmembers assembly\u201d the Saturday after the election to stress the importance of community and reassurance in light of the future administration\u2019s goals. About 500 members attended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe did not wait until the inauguration happened,\u201d Ruzicka said. \u201cWe were prepping for this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the last Trump presidency, Arise put together a document similar to the new \u201cKnow Your Rights As An Immigrant Worker.\u201d Some of the material included in the new toolkit is recycled information from the previous one, along with newer information to better suit the current political climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSadly, we\u2019ve been through this, and that\u2019s what we have to remind workers: \u2018We\u2019ve been through this, we\u2019ve lived through this before, and we will get through it again,\u2019\u201d Ruzicka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A digital version of the toolkit was posted on the Arise <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arisechicago.org\/immigrantrights\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a> on Dec. 18, 2024. The physical toolkit features a QR code, enabling others to share the information easily. Furthermore, Arise has been able to steer attention to their toolkit through news outlets covering their work, including <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/inthesetimes.com\/article\/dont-open-the-door-how-chicago-is-frustrating-ices-campaign-of-fear\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">In These Times<\/a>, and posting the toolkit on their social media pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Spreading the word<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another massive part of Arise\u2019s reach comes down to grassroots advocacy from its members, as that is generally how most people find out about Arise\u2019s work, Ruzicka said. Quiroz has disseminated the informational document to many people in her life, raising awareness about the work that Arise does and its benefits to workers and immigrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve taught my co-workers about it and how to use it,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve talked to my neighbors and at my church. I\u2019m giving out the packet and the card. I\u2019m taking the flyers or the packet to the store where I go shopping. I\u2019m talking to people to make sure they know what their rights are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Illinois Workers in Action is another workers\u2019 rights organization based in Chicago, with its services branching out across the state of Illinois. Similar to Arise, the organization began preparing for the outcome of the presidential election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Sandra Garcia Cruz, program coordinator at Illinois Workers in Action, community navigators are established in various parts of the Chicagoland area to disseminate awareness of the toolkits. Through grassroots efforts, community navigators visit businesses, such as stores, and speak with managers to hang flyers and distribute Know Your Rights cards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI know one of them; she goes to the laundromat [and] takes them with her while her clothes are washing,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cShe\u2019ll talk to people, making sure they know resources are out there.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To Cruz, even though she and her organization can disseminate information about constitutional rights, ICE follows protocol when it wants to, sometimes breaking it, highlighting the limitations of power that the Know Your Rights packets and organizations face.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey have their specific procedure they\u2019re supposed to follow, and we could only do so much,\u201d she said. \u201cOftentimes, people ask us as a bystander, \u2018What do you do?\u2019 We can\u2019t tell them to put themselves at risk. There\u2019s no way to interfere with what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although this is the case, Cruz still views the distribution of information as necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ruzicka believes that ICE had a \u201ccomplete failure\u201d of arrests in Chicago, and it can be attributed to similar organizations and their \u201cmassive\u201d collective effort to inform undocumented immigrants of their rights. According to Ruzicka, a member of Arise had ICE agents knocking at their door. The members stood their ground until the agents left.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTom Homan, who\u2019s supposed to be in charge of all of this, tried to parade around and bring a celebrity to scare folks,\u201d she said. \u201cThis administration lost in Chicago, and the community won.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arise\u2019s work has not only spanned the Chicagoland area but has also reached other Illinois towns such as Peoria and Aurora. The organization would like to expand to these places but has limited time, staff, and resources. Due to this, Arise has initiated a Train-the-Trainer program, comprising workshops designed to teach individuals how to utilize Arise\u2019s materials and apply them as needed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s really important to have trusted voices giving these trainings so people can feel safe and know they\u2019re getting accurate information,\u201d Ruzicka said. \u201cI guess it\u2019s ongoing. It\u2019s not completed yet in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even Ald. Sigcho-Lopez has done Know Your Rights training with Chicagoans in his Ward, preparing them in case of ICE activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is not the end, but the beginning of a resistance to fascism,\u201d Sighcho-Lopez said. \u201cAs Chairman Fred Hampton said, \u2018Fascism is the priority for working people because if we don\u2019t stop fascism, fascism will stop all of us.\u2019\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Headshot-2-edited-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5063920\" style=\"width:156px;height:auto\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matt Brady is a student journalist from the Chicagoland area, currently a reporter for the Columbia Chronicle, the student-led newspaper at Columbia College Chicago. He began his student journalism journey at Elgin Community College, where he eventually became Editor-in-Chief of the Elgin Observer, the student-led newspaper. He follows Chicago organizations across the city, making change economically and socially. Brady independently co-runs and co-founded Brain Graffiti Zine, a physical music zine, online publication and show promotion operation that follows the current world of DIY music culture across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matt was member of the Solutions Journalism class at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.colum.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Columbia College Chicago&nbsp;<\/a>taught by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.colum.edu\/academics\/faculty\/detail\/sharon-bloyd-peshkin.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sharon Bloyd-Peshkin<\/a>, Professor in the School of Communication and Culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Publisher\u2019s Notes: Part of Illinois Latino News\u2019 mission is to nurture the next generation of journalists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe current administration is violating constitutional rights on a daily basis,\u201d says Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5063925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,103],"tags":[52,23,31,32,25,99,394],"ppma_author":[393],"class_list":["post-5063906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-solutions-journalism","tag-donald-trump","tag-hispanics","tag-ice","tag-immigration","tag-latinos","tag-migrants","tag-undocumented-immigrants"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/05\/Untitled-Facebook-Post-21.jpg",940,634,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/05\/Untitled-Facebook-Post-21-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/05\/Untitled-Facebook-Post-21-300x202.jpg",300,202,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/05\/Untitled-Facebook-Post-21-768x518.jpg",768,518,true],"large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/05\/Untitled-Facebook-Post-21.jpg",940,634,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/05\/Untitled-Facebook-Post-21.jpg",940,634,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/05\/Untitled-Facebook-Post-21.jpg",940,634,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"LNN","author_link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/author\/jermainesmith\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"\u201cThe current administration is violating constitutional rights on a daily basis,\u201d says Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward).","authors":[{"term_id":393,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"matt-brady","display_name":"Matt Brady","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"mfb_rest_fields":["title","uagb_featured_image_src","uagb_author_info","uagb_comment_info","uagb_excerpt","authors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5063906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5063906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5063906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5063925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5063906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5063906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5063906"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5063906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}