Chicagoans are bracing for a potential immigration crackdown amid reports that now-President Donald Trump’s incoming border czar called the city “ground zero” for mass deportations.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada, Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33rd Ward) and U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (3rd District) speak during an immigration rights canvassing event Jan. 20, 2025, in Avondale. Photo by Jake Wittich
A handful of public officials spent Monday morning canvassing high-traffic areas in Avondale to educate the community on peoples’ rights pertaining to immigration. Among them were LGBTQ+ elected representatives Anthony Quezada, commissioner for the Cook County board, and Alds. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) and Rossana Rodriguez (33rd).
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward). Photo by Jake Wittich
The effort was among more than 10 “Know Your Rights” canvasses happening that morning in the neighborhoods of Belmont Cragin, Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Albany Park, Hermosa and Avondale.
“We’re talking to our community members, letting them know that we are here with them,” Quezada said. “They are not alone, and we are here to protect each other over the next couple days, weeks, months and years ahead.”
Other public officials participating in the event included U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (3rd District), State Sen. Graciela Guzmán (20th District) and Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle.
The event was organized amid reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were planning a major enforcement operation targeting immigrants in the several days following Trump’s inauguration, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
Named “Operation Safeguard,” the plan was slated to flood Chicago with 150-200 ICE officers. But incoming border czar Tom Homan said Saturday the administration hadn’t “made a decision yet” after news of the operation started leaking, according to the Washington Post.
Reports of the potential immigration raids have stoked fear among Chicago’s immigrant communities. Ramirez said she witnessed this sense of alarm while canvassing Monday morning and approaching someone who immediately pulled out his Green Card, which authorizes a person to live and work permanently in the U.S.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada passes out an immigration rights fact sheet Jan. 20, 2025, in Avondale. Photo by Jake Wittich
“People in some cases are in fear of leaving their homes,” Ramirez said.
These worries are exacerbated for LGBTQ+ immigrants, who are in a position to be uniquely affected by deportations, Quezada said.
“A lot of folks may have left their countries because of the public safety concerns that they had in their own communities,” Quezada said. “So the concern is that folks are coming here to have a good life and find safety, comfort and a home—only to be criminalized and put in a community they may not feel safe in.”
Fuentes said she’s especially concerned about transgender immigrants.
“In this moment, trans migrant, immigrant and refugee individuals are most at risk,” Fuentes said. “And we want to make sure that we are providing all the resources to them as possible. We want the trans community to know that every elected [official] across every level of government is here to protect them, and they have rights.”
Among those protections is the right to remain silent. Under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, people do not have to speak with an ICE agent, answer their questions or sign any papers, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. ICE officials also cannot search a person or their home without consent or a warrant signed by a judge.
Additionally, Chicago is a “sanctuary city,” and under its Welcoming City Ordinance, local police are not allowed to ask people about their immigration status or cooperate in any federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Illinois passed its own ban on law enforcement agents collaborating with ICE in 2017 when former Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the TRUST Act.
“We want folks to know that they can still navigate this city, because we are going to do everything possible to keep them safe,” Fuentes said. “Do not let fear win in this moment.”
For more information on immigrants’ rights, visit Borderless Magazine for guides written in English and Spanish.
