A Welcoming City: Protecting Immigrant Rights in Chicago

If you observe an immigration enforcement action, please report it to Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)’s family support network hotline at 1-855-435-7693/1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY.

Remember to spread information, not panic, by using the SALUTE method: 

• Size/Strength: “5 to 6 officers”
• Actions/Activity: “stopping random people on the street”
• Location/Direction: “Chicago, West of Millennium Park on Michigan Ave”
• Uniform/Clothes: “Dark blue uniforms that say ‘Police ICE’ on the back”
• Time and date of observation: “January 20th at 12:45pm”
• Equipment and weapons: “they’re carrying helmets, weapons, and batons”

If you witness immigration enforcement agents violating City of Chicago law—or city employees or departments violating Chicago law by assisting in immigration enforcement—please report it to bit.ly/reportimmviolationschi!

Every person in America, regardless of their immigration or legal status, has rights when dealing with law enforcement. If you are questioned or otherwise interact with ICE in any location, remember:

• You have the right to remain silent, and do not have to answer questions about your immigration or citizenship status.
• You have the right to refuse entry. ICE or police cannot enter your home unless they have a warrant signed by a judge. Administrative warrants signed by ICE officers have do not give them permission to enter your home. If the officers say they have a warrant, you can ask them to slip it under the door so you can review to see whether it is valid. See examples of valid and invalid warrants.
• You do not have to sign anything that you don’t understand, and have the right to request a translator.
• You have the right to an attorney. If you don’t have one and don’t know how to get one, see the legal support section below.
• If you are questioned, remain calm and keep your hands where the officer can see them. If you are detained, do not resist arrest.

For guides on your rights in specific situations, visit illinoisimmigrationinfo.org/know-your-rights.

If you or a loved one is at risk of detention or deportation, it’s important to create a family emergency plan and talk to your loved ones about it to ensure everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency, including things like:

• Choosing a caregiver for your children in case you are detained
• Talking to your children about what to do and who to call if you are detained
• Updating emergency contact documentation with your children’s school
• Gathering important information and documents (e.g. passports, insurance documents, medical information, etc)

See a step-by-step guide below on how to develop a plan for yourself and your family at IllinoisImmigrationInfo.org, or by viewing the links below:

• Emergency Family Planning Guide (Spanish)
• Emergency Family Planning Guide (English)

If you or someone you love is detained, here are some steps you can take:

1. Gather the information of the person who was detained, including:
   1. First and last name (as it appears on government documents)
   2. Date of birth
   3. Country of origin
   4. Alien Registration Number (A-Number) of the constituent that was detained. The A-number is usually 9 digits, and can be found on the person’s immigration documents. If you don’t have their A-number, you should be able to locate them with the information above.
2. Determine who their primary contact is. If it’s not you, find out who will be the primary contact for the person while they are in detention (likely either a trusted family member or friend or their attorney or legal representative) and get their contact information.
3. Determine whether they have legal assistance: if the person doesn’t already have legal support, you can refer them to one of the organizations listed in the Legal Support Options section below.
4. Find out where they are located using the ICE online locator. If you don’t have their A number, you can use their full name, country of birth, and date of birth to find their location. In the event of increased enforcement, the locator may not be accurate, in which case you can contact your Congressional office for help!
5. Report to ICIRR: if it has not already been reported, call ICIRR’s hotline to notify them of the enforcement action at 1-855-435-7693.
6. Make sure you and the person who is detained are aware of their rights while in detention: see this Know Your Rights resource from the National Immigrant Justice Center.
7. Reach out your Congressional representatives for help. Congressional representatives can conduct a soft inquiry to find out where a detained person is located, or a hard inquiry to discuss specifics about their case. Make sure to include all representatives, the primary contact (if it’s not you) and the attorney on one email so they can best decide who will file an inquiry. Use this tool to find contact information for your Congressional representatives.

In order for any third party to discuss the specifics of their case with the Department of Homeland Security, the person who is detained will need to complete and sign the DHS Form 60-001 for each third party (e.g. their attorney, primary contact, and Congressional Rep). We recommend that those at risk for detention partially complete forms for each recipient ahead of time (with the exception of the date and witness signature) in case they are detained.

See the CIRR Immigration Enforcement and Detention Support Guide* for more information on all of the above, including translations of the forms above. 

* Please note that this support guide is designed for municipal offices, but most of the information within the guide is also relevant to community members.

If you or your loved one does not yet have legal representation, see below for a list of legal support resources. Unfortunately, many non-profit organizations and lawyers who offer pro-bono services are at capacity and have waitlists. If you are searching for a private immigration lawyer, make sure to avoid fraud!

• Cook County Immigration Division
• The Resurrection Project
• National Immigrant Justice Center Detention Project
• Midwest Immigrant Defenders Alliance (MIDA)
• ICIRR attorney referral list (Illinois) (PDF Download)