Chicago Community’s Response to ICE Tactics Offers Blueprint for Resistance
CHICAGO – A Chicago neighborhood’s proactive response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics is gaining attention as a model for communities bracing against increasingly aggressive anti-migrant policies. residents of Rogers Park, spurred by the association Protect Rogers park, began monitoring ICE activity after witnessing agents targeting community members – even intervening when agents attempted to detain individuals on ladders and outside schools – demonstrating a powerful form of local resistance.
The situation in Rogers Park reflects a broader trend of escalating anti-migrant efforts, not just within the US but increasingly being exported abroad. A recent New York Times report revealed senator Marco Rubio urging European diplomats to pressure host governments over crimes linked to migrants, highlighting a concerted push to spread restrictive policies. The Chicago example underscores the importance of early and sustained community action to counter such agendas, before they escalate to more overt forms of oppression.
Protect Rogers Park’s efforts began as a direct response to ICE’s increased presence and aggressive tactics. Residents started documenting ICE activity, providing legal observers, and offering support to those targeted. This proactive approach, including physically intervening to disrupt detentions, has created a deterrent effect and fostered a sense of solidarity within the community.
The story serves as a stark warning: waiting for government actions to become overtly racist before protesting is a perilous strategy.Every instance of xenophobic rhetoric normalized through polling data contributes to a climate where opposition is stifled.As Olly knowles of Led By Donkeys recently stated, “The time to fight fascism isn’t five to midnight.” The question,he posed,is “What time is it?” – a call to action to assess and respond to each wave of anti-migrant policy before it’s too late.
