Amidst a new wave of immigration reform measures by the Trump administration that is set to put an initial focus on Chicago, nonprofits and community organizations are working to protect and advocate for those with varying levels of immigration status throughout the city.
The Latino Policy Forum is a Chicago-based non-profit organization created in 1988 and dedicated to increasing the quality of life for Latinos in Chicago and throughout Illinois. The organization uses a model called “acuerdo,” which translates to “agreement”. It is based on the idea that community organizations, which are connected to the everyday needs of immigrants, have input when defining the organization’s agenda.
A main priority of the Forum has been promoting integration, which they believe to be woefully absent in recent immigration reform and national policy debates. The Forum promotes integration by pushing for policy changes that increase civic engagement and participation, education, language, socio-economic consideration, social integration, and local municipal support amongst immigrants.
However, this new wave of measures has shifted the focus of the Forum towards a preparation approach since these measures are being implemented on the federal level, and the Forum remains left in the dark as to what to expect in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
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José Marco-Paredes is the Vice President of Civic Engagement at the Latino Policy Forum. Marco-Paredes has an extensive background as a political reporter in Spain and says his passion for this work comes from a desire to build bridges between journalists and nonprofits.
Marco-Paredes says the Forum is working to keep its ear on the ground by connecting with community organizations like The Resurrection Project. Right now, one of their main priorities is to inform immigrants on how they can prepare for and respond to ongoing immigration enforcement measures through the Know Your Rights Campaign.
He says the vast majority of their current efforts consist of getting this information to those who are the most difficult to reach and ensuring that the information they receive is accurate and does not sow further fear in the community.
Currently, TikTok and social media sites are filled with waves of information about varying levels of incoming immigration measures and rumors of ongoing raids.
Laura Mendoza is a leading community organizer for The Resurrection Project based in Chicago, Illinois. She is currently working on the ground to promote transparent information regarding the Know Your Rights Campaign to undocumented community members.
“So people, in general, are just scared. They're confused about what they can actually do in situations, and what are the ways to protect themselves and their families,” said Mendoza. “A lot of parents have questions about their kids, you know, and what actions they can take to protect them or to have things in place [that protect them].”
The general feeling of fear and confusion is a significant reason for the Know Your Rights Campaign. Mendoza says the campaign helps to better inform people on how they should interact with law enforcement in certain situations and to know what specific rights one has, regardless of immigration status. On top of this campaign, Laura and those working at The Resurrection Project must answer many questions from concerned community members.
“Like the possibility of you obtaining a guardianship document, you know, assign somebody to be able to take care of your child in the event of you being detained,” is one example Mendoza noted.
Another common topic of conversation is the protection of assets.
“So, what do you do with your house, with your car, with your accounts?” said Mendoza. “You know, we know that immigrants have been in the U.S., have been in Chicago for a really long time, the average is, like, 20 years. I've been in Chicago for 30 years. These are people's lives at stake.”
An important part of Laura’s work with The Resurrection Project is communicating necessary information through the community navigator network.
Laura says those who are primarily doing the work of community navigators consist of women in their 40s who are involved in the schools, churches, and vital institutions within the community. By going door to door and speaking with as many people as possible, she says this is an effective way to get necessary information out through people who can be trusted within the community.
“We train them on, you know, up-to-date news, and they are the ones that are really going out there,” said Mendoza. “They are in the community, they're giving presentations, they're talking to their neighbors about it.”
So far, Laura says there has not been a substantial increase in the amount of detentions that have taken place, but there has been an increase in the amount of attention given to those detentions.
“The administration has said that anyone who is undocumented is in danger, and I definitely think that’s the case… it is difficult to say what the pattern of enforcement will be,” said Mendoza.
Another aspect of the work being conducted by The Resurrection Project is preparing for what happens when detentions begin to increase and how to prepare for those proceedings if they believe some have violated the rights of those detained.
“So if somebody does find themselves in deportation proceedings, we're able to provide them with justice assistance and how to think through and plan,” said Mendoza. “And, you know, sometimes it’s something as simple as they might need a document, and it can be overwhelming to figure out some of these institutions. We would be able to help too. If they want to go public and talk about their case, why they were detained, and why they're fighting to stay, we would be able to help with that.”
In looking towards the future, Marco-Paredes believes there are opportunities to foster productive conversation regarding integration and immigration enforcement measures.
“You were asking if we can work with the new administration,” said Marco-Paredes. “I think that cannot be off the table, right? There has to be an openness to have discussions around what are some of the solutions to the challenges that the country and that the state is facing, and you will not hear us say we're not open to have discussions, but these discussions have to come from an honest approach, and we won't compromise on anything that can go against the community and impoverished folks.”
While the uncertainty of what is to come remains the common thread on the ground in Chicago, people like Laura Mendoza of The Resurrection Project remain hopeful that the Know Your Rights Campaign can prevent the worst by informing people on how to protect themselves best using their Constitutional rights.
“We are part of it… we are part of the solution,” said Mendoza. “We're not just there to be told what the solution is.”
Calvin Krippner is a solutions-based, investigative journalist who studied at the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism. His work brings to light and analyzes solutions to complex issues in various communities, and he extends local analysis to wider societal trends.
