WATCH LIVE: Activists rally at Daley Plaza against possible ICE raids
WATCH LIVE: Activists rally at Daley Plaza against possible ICE raids
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Updated 8 minutes agoCHICAGO (WLS) -- Facing the threat of immigration raids Sunday in Chicago, dozens of immigrant and refugee rights organizations will rally against them Saturday.
The rally, "to end criminalization, detention & deportations, will be held at 11 a.m. at Richard J. Daley Plaza, the Chicago Teachers Union said in a press release. Speakers will include organization leaders, elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and people impacted by administration policies.
There were unconfirmed reports Friday that ICE has already been knocking on doors in the city, although there has been no word of any mass raids or arrests.
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The threat of immigration raids looms over Chicago, with an enforcement operation expected to start Sunday.
Community organizations are briefing residents across the area in churches, schools and other places about their legal rights and how to handle ICE encounters. Faith groups said they will be doing their part to stand with those communities that are living in fear, and encouraged people to act to help protect people's rights if they see any ICE raids happening.
Friday afternoon hundreds of people gathered in Federal Plaza, joining in the nationwide movement to voice their frustration over the impending ICE sweep while others reached out to local leaders asking for help.
The Lights for Liberty rally stretched from downtown Chicago into the suburbs and beyond through the rest of the country. They eventually marched from Federal Plaza to Chicago's ICE headquarters.
There have been reports of potential sweeps on Chicago's North Side already.
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The threat of immigration raids looms over Chicago, with an enforcement operation expected to start Sunday.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the city will not cooperate with any ICE raids and Governor JB Pritzker said the state will also not coordinate in any way with federal immigration officials.
Lightfoot also announced the city would provide $250,000 to the city's legal defense fund to help immigrants. She reiterated that ICE has been cut off from any police databases, and police will not provide them any assistance on immigration matters.
"We've been very clear about the fact that our police department is not going to participate, for sure, but also not to facilitate any raids that are going to be taking place," Lightfoot said.
The raids would pursue people with final deportation orders, including families whose immigration cases were fast-tracked by judges in 10 major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Miami.
Hundreds of demonstrations are planned in protest of the treatment of migrants at detention centers. They're being called Lights For Liberty rallies and will take place in Chicago and several other cities around the country.
Organizers want major changes made to the conditions at the migrant facilities.
ICE has issued a statement that it won't comment on details of "enforcement operations," and the White House has declined comment to ABC News.
WAUKEGAN TRIES TO EASE FEARS OF LARGE IMMIGRANT POPULATION
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News of weekend ICE raids has rattled Latino communities in the Chicago area, and in Waukegan immigrant groups are trying to ease fears.
Waukegan has a large immigrant population, some of whom are living in fear of the federal raids.
Organizations and advocacy groups are standing by to help those who could be impacted by the raids.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Immigration Committee along with the Lake County Immigrant Advocacy said they are opening a command center with on-site support in Waukegan to teach people about their rights and to provide emergency assistance to families if their loved ones are taken away.
"We will see a reign of terror inflicted upon our communities," said Julie Contreras of LULAC. "We will have children left alone in their homes when their parents, right here in the United States, are ripped out of their homes, only guilty of coming here for a better life."
Contreras asked the public to put pressure on lawmakers to protect immigrant families.
"We cannot stop making a call out to the senators and congressmen of this nation that should have already fixed these broken laws," she said.
https://abc7chicago.com/watch-live-a...raids/5393156/
