NIJC Condemns Ongoing ICE Surveillance and Arrest Operations in Chicago Area
Urges Community Members to Exercise their Rights
CHICAGO, IL – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have arrested dozens of community members in Chicago and nearby suburbs in immigration enforcement operations since last weekend. The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) believes that enforcement and surveillance operations are ongoing.
Recent reports reveal that officers who do not immediately identify themselves as ICE agents are making initial inquiries and requesting individuals’ identity documents. NIJC reminds all members of the community that they have the right to remain silent and should not open the door of their home or workplace unless ICE officers present a court-ordered warrant. If an individual is stopped by officers who do not identify themselves, he or she should ask whether they are under arrest and decline to answer questions.
NIJC denounces ICE’s surveilling and targeting of communities, which only serves to create fear in our neighborhoods and further overburden the immigration court system.
Individuals whose loved ones have been arrested and detained can contact NIJC’s detention team at detentionhelp@heartlandalliance.org, or may call the ICIRR Family Support Network Hotline at (855) 435-7693. Detained individuals can call NIJC collect at (312) 263-0901 on Tuesdays between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
View this statement online at: immigrantjustice.org/press-releases/nijc-condemns-ongoing-ice-surveillance-and-arrest-operations-chicago-area-urges
The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is a nongovernmental organization dedicated to ensuring human rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers through a unique combination of direct services, policy reform, impact litigation and public education. Visit immigrantjustice.org and follow @NIJC.
