Chicago organizers gathered in Pilsen on Friday to express support for activists in Minnesota and to demand an end to federal immigration enforcement operations. The demonstration comes as Minneapolis and St. Paul saw businesses close and residents protest what they describe as harsh tactics by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“We are proud to rise in solidarity to say: ICE out of Minnesota, ICE out of Illinois and ICE out of everywhere,” said Veronica Castro, deputy director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
Representatives from rapid response groups, unions, and pro-immigrant organizations across Chicago, Cook, Lake, Will, and DuPage counties criticized what they called escalating violence and unlawful detentions by federal agents in both cities.
Organizers referenced several recent incidents involving ICE. They called for accountability over the fatal shootings of Silverio Villegas González during a traffic stop in the Chicago suburbs last year and Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier this month. They also recalled the shooting of Marimar Martinez in Brighton Park last October; Martinez survived after an agent was found to have boasted about the incident in text messages.
“Thankfully, Marimar lived to tell the truth. She survived and her testimony exposed the inconsistencies, the exaggerations and all the false claims,” said Any Huamani, an organizer with the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council.
Another case discussed was that of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his father, who were detained by federal agents outside their home in a Minneapolis suburb. “I cannot stop thinking about a 5-year-old child, Liam Ramos, with his adorable blue hat, coming home from preschool and being picked up in his driveway by ICE, not just picked up, but being used as bait,” said Genie Kastrup, president of SEIU Local One.
Organizers described similar tactics being used by federal agents in Minneapolis as those previously seen in Chicago—detaining suspected immigrants violently and using unmarked vehicles or chemical agents in residential areas. Union leaders from groups such as SEIU Local 1 and 73 joined calls to abolish ICE.
While reports indicate that ICE activity has decreased recently around Chicago, community members remain vigilant. According to Castro, more than 11,000 calls have been made to the Family Support Network hotline since December regarding sightings of immigration agents.
“Every SUV is a reminder of suspicion, of persecution, of oppression,” said Marièn Casillas Pabellón, executive director of West Suburban Action Project (PASO).
A leaked memo reported earlier this week by the Associated Press revealed that some new ICE agents had been trained under guidance authorizing them to forcibly enter homes without judicial warrants. Legal aid organizations argue this directive violates constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.
Chicago-area advocates continue urging residents not to allow entry without a warrant. “Simply because a memo states it or Donald Trump says it does not make it legal,” Diego Morales from Pilsen Unidos por Ñuestro Orgullo told Block Club. “It is unlawful and unconstitutional to enter a private home without a proper judicial warrant. That is how this country operates,” he added.
In support of their counterparts in Minnesota, local groups circulated calls for a “solidarity strike” asking people not to shop or work on Friday. “These are ways that we can use our power as everyday people to put pressure on a system that is no longer acceptable to us,” Morales said.
Rapid response teams pledged ongoing efforts to educate communities about their rights when interacting with immigration authorities. “We will exercise our rights every single day, because if we don’t exercise our rights, it’s that much easier for them to take them away,” Castro said.
Organizers also urged Chicagoans to contact elected officials about rejecting further federal funding for immigration enforcement agencies—a topic currently under debate in Congress following House approval of a funding bill opposed by some Democrats due to its allocations for immigration enforcement agencies.
“The work of exposing ICE’s violence and organizing alongside our neighbors is unifying a growing national movement demanding that we abolish ICE,” Castro said.
