Chicago’s immigrants kick ICE out of their communities!
Chicago, IL – On Saturday, October 4, the Latino immigrant neighborhood of Brighton Park confronted ICE and other agents in a massive show of resistance to the federal occupation of Chicago. Hundreds withstood teargas and drove the feds out of their community.
The day before, hundreds of people across the city mobilized to schools in the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods to defend their communities as ICE and other federal agents ramped up their raids during after-school pickups. Rapid response teams coordinated with Chicago Teachers Union members among Chicago Public Schools staff to chase ICE out of neighborhoods, create “safe corridors” for children to return home, and to stand strong against the deployment of tear gas in residential neighborhoods.
On Saturday, as ICE tactics escalated, the immigrant rights movement and community residents responded. Rapid response networks were alerted to a confrontation at Pershing Road and Kedzie Avenue on the southwest side of Chicago. Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was shot by federal agents. Fortunately, she survived the shooting.
In response to the brutal attack, local shop owners and neighbors held federal agents in a standoff that lasted for hours, preventing further ICE activity and holding officers at bay. Despite ICE’s continued assault with repeated rounds of tear gas, hundreds of immigrants and community members rallied together to care for one another, defend their neighborhoods, and force ICE activity to halt.
Protesters chanted, “Aquí estamos, y no nos vamos!” and “Fuera ICE!” Know Your Rights information was distributed, and activists shared infographics for families of detainees amongst the crowd. Shop owners ushered people to park in their lots, distributing water and supplies to sustain the people in their continued confrontation. Neighbors came out of their homes to shout and protest against ICE’s continued assault and presence in their communities.
Eventually, Border Patrol agents and other federal agents were forced back into their armored vehicles and chased out.
They stopped at Rockwell and Cermak Road in Little Village (La Villita), a historically Chicano and Mexicano neighborhood. They met with immediate resistance from La Villita’s shop owners, community organizations, and neighbors as they defended their homes and loved ones. Federal agents were again forced to flee, abandoning one of their vehicles in the process.
Agents returned with reinforcements, but the unified residents and their movement allies continued to protest until they kicked ICE out of their neighborhood. Federal agents were eventually forced to vacate the area for the last time.