When federal immigration agents moved into Chicago’s streets, the sound of whistles followed. For months, the sharp blasts rang through many of the city’s neighborhoods, alerting residents to the presence of agents and attracting observers and protesters.
The whistles have grown into a symbol of resistance in Chicago — and have already spread to other parts of the country targeted by President Donald Trump’s immigration blitz.
“It’s effective because people start understanding that if they hear the whistle, they should run or hide,” said Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council. “Our idea of the whistle grew like wildfire.”
As federal immigration agencies this week ramp up their enforcement in Charlotte, North Carolina, making more than 130 arrests over the weekend, Enriquez and other Chicago-area community leaders have been sharing the lessons they learned with their coastal counterparts.
Enriquez said his group met virtually with several dozen political and nonprofit leaders in North Carolina last week. On the agenda were the whistle campaign in Chicago and the “magic school bus,” a volunteer group that escorts children of parents who fear being detained during school pickups and drop-offs.
The groups also discussed the legal rights immigrants have and the forms and procedures involved for detainees seeking legal representation, Enriquez said.
“A lot of people didn’t know what to expect,” Enriquez said. “We were ready for [the feds]. We didn’t wait for them to hit us.”
Amid the surge in immigration enforcement, Charlotte-area groups have banded together to build rapid-response and support networks for vulnerable residents and their families, said a local organizer, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of their and their organization’s safety.
The organizer said their group has received guidance and support from Chicago-based organizations, including Pilsen Arts & Community House, Protect Rogers Park and 19th District Mutual Aid. Representatives from Chicago joined several conference calls with the Charlotte groups and have helped set up teams and systems to respond to immigration enforcement.
The organizer added that the groups are now focusing on ensuring families who are afraid to leave their homes have the resources they need.
Teresa Magaña, co-founder of Pilsen Arts & Community House, said she has gotten several messages from North Carolina organizations asking for advice and resources.
She said her counterparts were especially interested in her group’s zine on using the emergency whistle system, which has already been adopted by organizers in Washington, D.C. She is also shipping out a box of whistles soon, she added.
Magaña said she’s encouraged to see social media videos, filmed in Charlotte, that show residents using whistles and horns to alert others to the presence of federal agents.
“Just the idea of wanting to protect each other has made a huge impact,” Magaña said.
Earlier this year, Enriquez heard from California community groups about the immigration blitz in the Los Angeles area, where the feds adopted aggressive tactics they brought to Chicago months later. Those tales helped the Chicago organizers, who Enriquez said have been planning “since Jan. 20.”
Now, Enriquez is hoping his fellow organizers in North Carolina are ready for the surge in immigration enforcement. He said his group will soon send a representative and a supply of whistles and know-your-rights pamphlets to Charlotte.
“Education is key,” Enriquez said. “We are trying our best to educate them and let them know what to expect and what to do.”
In an op-ed published in the Charlotte Observer newspaper Sunday, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss — who has emerged as a prominent critic of federal immigration operations in the Chicago area — called on Charlotte elected officials to adopt policies to “protect our residents within the law.”
Like Chicago, Evanston prohibits federal agents from using city properties to stage raids. Under a new policy, Evanston police also will investigate federal immigration enforcement activity and take legal action or refer violations of local and state laws to state agencies.
Biss also urged North Carolina community organizers to set up and strengthen their efforts to inform residents of federal immigration enforcement.
“The more prepared you are, the more people you can save, and the more evidence you can collect to eventually enable our nation to bring the perpetrators of this horror to justice,” Biss wrote. “Because when ICE or CBP shows up, fear will spread fast. But courage can spread faster.”