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Quote/Term of the Week

Rapid response system / noun

In this context, a rapid response system is made up of community members and organizations working together to quickly confirm when federal agents are in an area and warn neighbors who may be at risk of being detained.

Federal agents are continuing massive immigration operations in the Chicago area. Raids, arrests and crackdowns have spread to multiple neighborhoods where agents have clashed with community members, protesters, journalists and elected officials.

National Guard members also have arrived to the area as Trump administration officials contend the troops are needed to support immigration agents and facilities. It is not yet clear where those soldiers will go, but city and state officials have sued to block the deployment.  

Local officials and community members are taking steps to resist ICE. City Bureau has a resource guide with details on what you need to know, how to connect with groups who can help and where to get more information amid ICE raids.

Leer en español: Cómo obtener ayuda — y ayudar a otros — en medio de las redadas de ICE en Chicago

Today, we’re highlighting sections from this guide on how to get involved and contribute to those efforts.

Editor’s note: The information here is not a substitute for legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should contact a qualified attorney.

Join a Know Your Rights training or canvassing

Several organizations offer regular trainings to help you understand your constitutional rights and what to do if you encounter ICE agents:

  • HANA Center, Know Your Rights workshop: Thursdays at 1 p.m., online | Register 

  • The Resurrection Project - Immigrant Justice: Tuesdays at 2 p.m. (English); Thursdays at 6 p.m. (Spanish) | Sign up for a virtual training or request a training 

  • Equity and Transformation, Black Voter Project and a coalition of Black-led community and legal groups are hosting Know Your Rights training sessions. Sign up here. 

  • The National Lawyers Guild of Chicago offers Know Your Rights trainings for groups upon request. Email chicago@nlg.org.

  • CAIR-Chicago offers Know Your Rights training upon request. You can fill out their online form at https://www.cairchicago.org/request-a-speaker.

  • PUÑO (Pilsen Unidos por Nuestro Orgullo) organizes Know Your Rights Community Canvassing. The volunteer effort involves 15 minutes of training followed by 60- to 90-minute canvassing shifts in pairs. Check out upcoming dates and sign up for slots here.   

  1. Palenque LSNA hosts virtual Know Your Rights trainings upon request bit.ly/PLSNAVolunteer

Find your local rapid response team

The Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights has a network of rapid response teams throughout the city and the surrounding suburbs who verify, record and alert the community of immigration enforcement activity so you can stay informed. Those groups include:

Sign up for the Illinois "Eyes on ICE" Text Network. ICIRR's text alert system will alert participants of local ICE activity near your area, tips and reminders to keep you and your neighbors safe and opportunities to take action. Text alerts of ICE activity will only be sent if it is verified by an ICIRR-affiliated rapid response team and if the information is current enough to be relevant and helpful to local residents.

Get trained and get involved with rapid response

Pilsen Unidos por Nuestro Orgullo’s (PUÑO) regularly holds Migra Watch team training where you can learn how to identify federal agents, document ICE activity, and support immigrants in our communities. Follow PUÑO’s Instagram to stay updated on upcoming events

  • Sign up for the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Rapid Response team to receive urgent action alerts.

When documenting ICE sightings, the ICIRR recommends that you:

  1. Stay at least an arms length away from an officer as you film. If they tell you to back up, film yourself doing so.

  2. Film horizontally to capture as much of what’s happening as possible.

  3. Narrate what you’re seeing and be as detailed as possible, including the amount of agents and what they’re doing.

  4. Focus on filming the actions of the agents rather than yourself or those around you.

  5. Call the Family Support Network Hotline at 855-435-7693. You can talk to an operator about sharing your footage and the ICIRR can share it with their network of lawyers.

The ICIRR recommends that you do not: 

  • Post unverified information about ICE activity on social media

  • Interfere with the investigation or otherwise put yourself in harm’s way

  • Share the footage publicly without the permission of the person being detained, their family or the Family Support Network Hotline.

Take Action, help neighbors

There are many ways you can volunteer or donate to help neighbors affected by ICE enforcement. Here are some:  

  • Organized Communities Against Deportation (OCAD) is looking for volunteers, as well as help sponsoring families facing deportation or who need financial assistance.

  • Volunteer for the ICIRR’s Court Watch program. Volunteers spend a few hours per month observing and bearing witness to detained immigrants’ hearings. Email icirrcourtwatch@gmail.com to get involved.

  • Sign up to get updates from the ICIRR about activities, campaigns and how you can get involved with the organization’s work.

  • Join a school ICE watch patrol

    • Help fight ICE targeting immigrant children and families by visiting schools during dropoff and pickup times

  • Street Vendors Association of Chicago launched a Vendor Relief Fund as vendors are arrested and their regular customers avoid areas that federal agents target. You can donate via GoFundMe or PayPal.

  • Sin Título, a Latina collective, operates the Neighbor to Neighbor initiative where volunteers can help run errands, pick up groceries and provide other support for families who don’t feel safe leaving home. The organization also offers Lyft reimbursements for people commuting to work. On their homepage, click “help/ayuda” if you are requesting help. You can also donate to the effort and sign up as a volunteer. 

A version of this story was first published in the October 8, 2025 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.

Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Civic Editor Dawn Rhodes at dawn@citybureau.org.