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Understanding immigrant and refugee challenges through community engagement
One of the core beliefs of our Committee is that we can’t be effective at understanding the specific challenges and barriers that immigrants and refugees face without engaging with them directly and consistently. Here are some of the ways we do that:
- Sharing knowledge of governmental systems that impact immigrant and refugee communities and amplifying the demands for improvement;
- Participating in City and Statewide roundtables to stay up-to-date and pass along relevant new and emerging opportunities;
- Hosting resource fairs, forums and informational workshops with community-based organizations based on communicated needs;
- Supporting legal clinics for those seeking immigration relief
Upcoming Events
Check out upcoming events for immigrants and new arrivals! Events listed include those that are sponsored by the Committee, and events hosted by our partner organizations.
June 9th, 1pm: Virtual Immigration Briefing
Join the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights for a virtual Immigration Briefing on June 9th! We will go over recent changes to federal immigration law and policies, and their impact on Chicagoans.
- When: Tuesday, June 9th from 1–2pm
- Where: On Zoom! Once you register below, you will receive a Zoom link on the day before the event.
- Language: This event will be in English
June 4th, 6pm: Immigration Workshop: Understanding Your Status
Join the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights for a virtual Immigration Workshop on the Travel Ban! Along with our partners from CAIR, United African Organization, MIRA, Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC), Syrian Community Network, United Communities Network, Family Focus Nuestra Familia, and Illinois Venezuelan Alliance.
During this virtual event we will the provide an immigration update on TPS, Asylum and DACA and the importance of understanding your status. We will provide the overview of understanding the function of each federal agencies such as USCIS, Immigration Court, ICE Detainee Locator.
- When: Thursday, June 4th from 6pm-7pm
- Where: On Zoom!
- Language: English
June 10th and 17th, 12pm: Train the Trainer: Emergency Family Planning
Join the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee for the Train The Trainer: Family Emergency Plan along with Indo American Center. This training on the Family Emergency Plan is designed to empower City Alder staff, organizations, and other advocates to help immigrant families develop emergency care plans for their children. The session will provide best practices for how to help families create and implement emergency plans in case of detention or deportation.
- When:
- Wednesday, June 10th at 12pm: English
- Wednesday, June 17th at 12pm: Spanish
- Where: On Zoom!
If you weren’t able to make our previous train the trainer on Short-Term Guardianship, check out the English version and the Spanish version on YouTube!
Get involved: Join our mailing list!
If you’d like to get more involved in the Committee’s work and learn about upcoming events, please join our mailing list!
Know Your Rights Workshops
The Committee for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (CIRR) also hosts in-person and virtual workshops for immigrants, new arrivals, and immigrant-serving organizations (e.g. schools and businesses) to connect them with resources and community.
Know Your Rights workshop topics
- Labor Rights: Workers rights for newly arrived migrants, topics include: discrimination, unjust treatment in the workplace, identifying wage theft, recovering pay
- Immigration Overview: Learn about eligibility for Asylum, TPS, and Employment Authorization Documents, how to change your address with the immigration court or the location of your court.
- Criminal and Immigration Law: Overview of Illinois criminal law from the Public Defender’s Office, including: when someone is arrested, how criminal arrests affect your ability to remain in the U.S., obtaining lawful immigration status.
- Cultural Competencies for New Immigrants: Education and training for new arrivals on cultural competencies and acculturation to develop an awareness of their cultural beliefs and values and how they differ from other cultures, including the one in which they’ve chosen to reside.
- Rapid Response for Deportation Defense: since the federal administration change in 2025, there has been renewed fear among communities around ICE and other federal agencies deputized to perform immigration enforcement so it is extremely important that all Chicagoans assert their constitutional rights and are aware of local Welcoming City laws.
Visit the Immigrant and Refugees Resources page to find more information!
Immigration Briefings
CIRR hosts monthly Immigration Briefings virtual series to ensure communities understand high-impact federal changes in immigration law and their practical effects on Chicagoans. Presidential, federal agency rulemaking, congressional, and judicial actions have all changed rapidly following the federal transitions in 2025. Immigration issues are broad and complex, so we partner with immigration attorneys to provide some insight on the impact of these changes to Chicagoans.
- View recordings on Ald. Vasquez’ YouTube page
- Read presentations and other documentation from the briefings
Business Ambassadors
Businesses in Andersonville and Lincoln Square reached out to us to address their concerns regarding the uptick of street peddlers. To this end, CIRR hosts workshops for businesses covering human trafficking, domestic violence and cultural competency around newly arriving asylum-seekers.
Businesses have brought up concerns about folks who have been selling candies or other items on the streets and inside storefronts or at farmers markets without explicit permission. CIRR’s Business Ambassadors canvass business corridors alongside community partners to build trust and share resources like street peddling application process, school enrollment, and job fair information.
CityKey + Mobile DMV Events
CIRR hosts regular CityKey events in partnership with the City Clerk’s Office and Community-Based Organizations for their clients and broader community. At these events, we provide the CityKey to those in the community who need it so they can access crucial City services.
CIRR piloted this partnership model in June of 2023 for the first time with the Indo-American Center. Based on its success, the committee was able to establish a flagship series that have assisted about 200 new arrivals and other migrants in the Northside to get their CityKey.
In 2025, CIRR is partnering with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office (ILSEC) to offer Mobile DMVs and other ILSEC services..