Less than 24 hours after federal agents intentionally plowed into an SUV and tear-gassed a crowd in a residential neighborhood on the Southeast Side, community organizers presented a clear message.
“Leave our city. You are not welcome here,” Olga Bautista, vice president of the Chicago Board of Education, said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
“We will stand shoulder to shoulder with our labor allies, our schools, our faith leaders and our neighbors,” Bautista said. “We will protect our young people and we will demand accountability and justice.”
Tuesday’s incident, which escalated after federal agents rammed into an SUV at 105th Street and Avenue N, resulted in agents using pepper balls, hurling smoke grenades and deploying at least three rounds of tear gas despite children and older adults being in the area. Four protesters were also detained.
Another organizer at the 45-minute event was Ana Guajardo, executive director of the United Workers Center, Centro De Trabajadores Unidos, where the gathering was held at 9805 S. Ewing Ave.
“ICE has continued to come to our community to terrorize, intimidate and create fear among our members,” Guajardo said. “We will continue to organize and advocate for those who are affected, as we see not only undocumented people are being targeted, but also people of color are being racially profiled by these unjust actions.”
At an unrelated news conference Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker called on federal agents “to back off” and suggested their use of chemical irritants may have violated a court order barring them from using riot control weapons without issuing warnings.
“ICE is causing this mayhem,” Pritzker said. “They’re the ones who are tossing tear gas when people are peacefully protesting. ICE is the one who’s going into neighborhoods where they frankly are causing fear among people who live in those neighborhoods, work in those neighborhoods. So they need to back off.”
Organizers stressed the importance of residents — both documented and undocumented — knowing their rights when they encounter federal agents, including the right to record, to ask for an attorney, to remain silent and to refuse to sign documentation unless reviewed by a lawyer.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re undocumented, you still have rights,” Oscar Franco, an immigration attorney with Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, said. “When people know their rights, ICE tends to leave as opposed to people who are unaware.”
Franco also urged community members to “create a plan B for their children” if they are detained and carry copies of passports, birth certificates and naturalization certificates if they are documented and stopped by agents.
“There is no guarantee that ICE won’t detain you even if you are a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident, but having these documentations on you can speed up the process of you being free from detention,” Franco said.
Community advocates urge those who see ICE in their area to call 855-435-7693.
Contributing: Mary Norkol, Anthony Vazquez and Kade Heather