With immigration raids targeting multiple parts of the city and suburbs, here are tips from local community groups on what to do.

By Sophia Kalakailo, Jerrel Floyd and Grace Del Vecchio

Neighbors and supporters rally for immigration rights in Little Village in February 2025. (Alonso Vidal/for City Bureau)

Download a printable PDF of this guide here.

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Federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol, are continuing massive operations in the Chicago area. 

Community members, elected officials and protesters have increasingly pushed back against these crackdowns, where agents have shot at least two people, one fatally; put a man in a chokehold after a traffic crash; threw a smoke bomb into the middle of a busy neighborhood street; accosted protesters and journalists; chased and arrested people outside a Bronzeville homeless shelter; and raided a South Shore apartment building, destroying property and detaining dozens of people and children in the middle of the night. 

President Donald Trump and his top officials have repeatedly justified the intensifying raids citing rampant violent crime in Chicago and calling the city a “war zone.” Gov. J.B. Pritzker fired back at that characterization, saying the actions of the federal authorities are what is making Chicago a war zone. 

(Fact-check: Chicago’s rate of violent crime, which spiked during the early years of the pandemic, has consistently dropped in recent years. Crime and the social conditions that lead to crime remain persistent issues, but this summer, the city logged the fewest homicides in six decades, according to a WBEZ analysis).

Texas National Guard members arrived in the Chicago area on Tuesday, Oct. 7, over the objections of local officials, the Tribune reported. Hundreds of troops from Illinois and Texas are being mobilized for what could be a 60-day deployment, the Sun-Times reported.

Organizers, local groups and neighbors are rallying to help keep our communities informed. Here’s what you need to know, how to connect with groups who can help, and where to get more information. 

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

How can I get immediate help?

  • Call the Family Support Network Hotline, 1-855-435-7693 or 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY

  • The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights hotline is available to report suspected ICE activity, and get connected with legal and social services, including legal support for deportations. Live operators are available:

    • 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day in English and Spanish

    • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Korean, Pashto, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian

    • If you call outside of those times, you can expect a call back within 48 hours.

Where have the feds been spotted?

Actions have been widespread, including arrests, clashes, raids and operations in South Shore, Bronzeville, Brighton Park, Pilsen, Back of the Yards, Downtown and River North, Logan Square, Austin, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, South Chicago and other parts of the city. Demonstrations have continued outside an ICE facility in suburban Broadview, where agents have fired pepper balls, rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters and reporters.

Silverio Villegas González, 38, was shot and killed Sept. 12 by federal agents in suburban Franklin Park, while agents shot a woman multiple times Oct. 4 in Brighton Park. She and another man were charged with felony assault. 

What to do if you think ICE is in your neighborhood

  • Find your local rapid response team: ICIRR has a network of rapid response teams all over the city and the surrounding suburbs who verify, record and alert the community of immigration enforcement activity. 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 rapid response training

    • Pilsen Unidos por Nuestro Orgullo’s (PUÑO) regularly holds Migra Watch trainings 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, ICIRR recommends that you:

    • Stay at least an arm’s length away from an officer as you film. If they tell you to back up, film yourself doing so.

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

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

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

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

  • 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

Prepare and get support

The Illinois Immigration Information Hub* is a free, multilingual online resource with up-to-date information on getting legal help, what to do if your loved one has been detained, preparing for potential ICE raids and more. 

You can:

  • Download and print Know Your Rights door signs and ID cards (Both are available in Arabic, Chinese, Dari/Farsi, English, French, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Pashto, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese)

  • Find an immigration attorney or other legal help

  • Get help if a loved one is detained at home, at work, in your car or elsewhere in public

  • Learn what to do if ICE shows up at immigration court

  • Keep up with latest changes in immigration law

*The hub is a collaboration among Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, The Resurrection Project, National Immigrant Justice Center, Illinois Department of Human Services and the city’s Office of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights. 

The hub also offers help creating a family emergency plan. Other emergency planning resources include:

  • Organized Communities Against Deportation (OCAD) offers a step-by-step guide to help you and your family plan for an emergency, like being detained, getting sick or having to leave home suddenly

  • The city of Chicago’s Know Your Rights resource hub also has Family Preparedness plans in English and in Spanish from the city’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Rights, The Resurrection Project and Loyola University School of Law. These guides provide help on arranging for child care, gathering important documents, creating emergency contact lists and talking to your family about what to do in an emergency.

Neighbors pushing for immigration rights rally in La Villita Park in February 2025. (Alonso Vidal/for City Bureau)

Know Your Rights

Several organizations have information to help you understand your rights if you are approached by a federal agent or detained. The following list is a summary of information provided by ICIRR, Illinois Immigration Information Hub and National Immigrant Justice Center:

  • You have the right to remain silent and not speak to federal agents

  • You have the right to speak to an attorney

  • You have the right to ask to see a warrant signed by a federal judge

  • Try to stay calm, don’t make sudden movements, and keep your hands where agents can see them.

Do not:

  • Open the door for any officer at your home. Federal agents cannot enter your home without a warrant signed by a judge.

  • Sign any documents you don’t understand

  • Discuss your immigration case or legal status with police or federal officers

  • Lie about your legal status or falsify documents

Do:

  • Say you want to speak to a lawyer

  • Carry copies of your documentation proving you are a U.S. citizen or are in the country legally

  • Move to a safe indoor location if you see immigration officers outside

Know Your Rights trainings and canvassing

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

The ACLU also provides guidance in English and en español on what to do if you encounter ICE agents in different scenarios. 

You can also find information through the city of Chicago’s Know Your Rights resource hub. You can download guides in Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Spanish and Ukrainian

Where to get legal help

Other resources:

What to know about getting legal advice | Borderless Magazine

What to know about deportation proceedings | Borderless Magazine

A Little Village neighbor cheers on demonstrators protesting increased federal immigration enforcement in February 2025. (Alonso Vidal/for City Bureau)

How local leaders are resisting ICE operations

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson filed an executive order Oct. 6 that prevents federal agencies from using city-owned land as staging areas. This comes after federal agents were reporting using city-owned property for immigration operations. 

Private property owners are also encouraged under the order to place signs to deter federal agencies from seeking out private land as an alternative.

Johnson also signed an executive order Aug. 30 in an attempt to protect residents from federal agents or troops deployed in the city. The order says that Chicago Police would remain a city agency and urges federal law enforcement to abide by the city’s policing laws. The city will also submit information requests to federal immigration authorities to keep tabs on future deployments.

The order also reaffirmed Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance, which provides some protections for immigrant residents, regardless of their status. 

Under the ordinance:

  • City agencies and their employees, including police officers, are prohibited from sharing information with ICE.

  • The Chicago Police Department is prohibited from questioning, arresting, or prosecuting individuals solely based on immigration status. Chicago police also cannot hold people on immigration detainers without a court order and are prohibited from doing so on behalf of ICE too.

  • City agencies cannot deny services based on immigration status.

  • The city cannot cooperate with federal immigration authorities in ways that would harm undocumented residents.

However, CPD has been scrutinized for its presence during a June 4 ICE raid at a South Loop facility where agents arrested at least 10 people, Block Club reported. Some city leaders have called for an investigation into whether Chicago police officers helped ICE during the raid, which would violate the Welcoming City Ordinance.

Chicago Public Schools has also reiterated its policies related to immigration enforcement in recent weeks. Under those procedures, CPS:

  • Does not ask for families' immigration status

  • Will not coordinate with federal representatives, including ICE

  • Does not share student records with ICE or any other federal representatives, except in the rare case where there is a court order or consent from the parent/guardian

  • Will not allow ICE agents or any other federal representatives access to CPS schools or facilities without a criminal judicial warrant signed by a federal judge

Take Action, help neighbors

  • Join a school ICE watch patrol

    • Help fight ICE targeting immigrant children and families by visiting schools during drop-off and pickup times

  • Get involved with Organized Communities Against Deportation (OCAD) through volunteering, sponsoring families facing deportation and are in need of financial assistance and more.

  • 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.

Groups have launched various donation and mutual aid drives to help support immigrant families who may be missing work or struggling to cover bills amid ICE raids. Here are some:

  • Street Vendors Association of Chicago has launched a Vendor Relief Fund as vendors are arrested and their regular customers avoid areas 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 its homepage, click “open form” if you are requesting help. You can also donate to the effort and sign up as a volunteer. 

Why is the National Guard coming? 

The White House has threatened to send National Guard members to the city for weeks, but those plans appeared to gain steam as federal officials argue that troops are necessary to protect agents carrying out immigration enforcement. 

The state of Illinois and city of Chicago sued to block the deployment, calling it “illegal, dangerous and unconstitutional.” A federal judge refused to immediately stop the move to send in soldiers as the lawsuit proceeds.

Keep up on the news

National Guard Arrives In Chicago Area Despite Judge Urging Feds To Hold Off | Block Club Chicago

How Summer Festival Organizers Leaned into Community Resources to Resist ICE | Borderless 

We keep us safe: Trainings, workshops and resources for Chicagoans ahead of Trump’s feds deployment | The TRiiBE

CTU calls for remote learning option for families amid looming immigration raids | WBEZ

Residents of Chicago’s most violent block don’t want Trump to send the National Guard | WBEZ

Immigration Advocates Sound Alarm After ICE Arrests At Domestic Violence Court | Block Club

Mayor Johnson signs 'Protecting Chicago Initiative' in attempt to safeguard city from federal agents, troops | Sun-Times

Amid ICE activity, CTU and elected officials call for community to protect students, families | Chalkbeat Chicago

Chicago Journalists, Protesters Suing Trump Administration Over Alleged First Amendment Violations at Broadview ICE Facility | WTTW

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