By Jasmine Martinez and Jorge Velasquez Soriano
@redlineproject
Editor’s note: Due to the sensitive nature of the story, only the first names of some interviewed for this story were used to protect their identity.
One of the main promises that President Donald Trump has made since the start of his first presidential campaign in 2016 was to deport people migrating from Mexico, or as he refers to them: “drug dealers, criminals, and rapists.” Since then, he has stood strongly by his policies.
Now, after his second presidential term began in January, his immigration policies have been broadened to other areas, including those who are students and have been vocal about their support for Palestine.
Since early January, immigration policies and plans have swiftly been taken into effect. Within the first week of the Trump administration, information on possible ICE raids occurring in sanctuary cities such as Chicago were leaked to the public by The Wall Street Journal from an anonymous source.
This set of information soon hit close to home to many long-term residents of Chicago, including those residing in Humboldt Park. As shown in Google Trends, searches for the phrases “ICE Raids” and “Trump deportation” were among the most searched categories on Google in the area of Chicago when occurred. The search term “ICE Raids” was at its highest around Jan. 20 and 21, and again around the 24th.
Humboldt Park was first home to European immigrants during the late 19th century. Germans, Scandinavians and Ukranians were among this first migration wave. However, during the 1950s, Humboldt Park began to see an influx of Hispanic residents, specifically Puerto Ricans, as they began to move to the neighborhood due to being displaced from other residential areas. It is now one of many neighborhoods in the city that has become a home to Hispanic residents for decades.
According to the 2020 Census, an estimated 53,800 residents live in the area. A little more than 50 percent identify as Hispanic and, from the estimated population of the neighborhood, 19.06 percent identify as non-U.S. citizens from their original birth documents, according to the Census.
Humboldt Park continues to embrace the lively culture of Puerto Rico. The streets fill themselves with music, art, restaurants and more throughout the year. However, the daily routine and events held in the neighborhood may start to change as a result of the new presidency. Due to its high Hispanic population, Humboldt Park has become one of the many neighborhoods located in sanctuary cities that the Trump administration has targeted with his strongest immigration policies yet.
Many of whom feared being targeted by ICE once before during the first Trump administration continue to now face these challenges and worries once again during the president’s second term.
Stephanie, who has lived in Humboldt Park for most of her life, said the ICE raids make her fearful and acknowledged the risk of being targeted based on her and her loved ones’ appearance.
“Overall, pretty scary, pretty anxiety-producing, especially knowing that it can happen to anyone,” she said. “As we’ve seen, they’re going based off their idea of what an ‘illegal immigrant’ [looks] and most of the time it’s just discrimination based, rather than going off actual documents that let you know if they’re here legally or not.”
Read More
Chicago: A Sanctuary City Under Pressure from ICE | Chicago’s Response to the Migrant Influx
The threat of facing a possible separation from loved ones is nothing new. To protect their families, people who face a high risk of having an encounter with ICE agents choose to maintain time away from their jobs and livelihood by staying home.
Mariana, a Humboldt Park resident, is all too familiar with this. She has been drastically impacted by the ICE raids as it has affected her and her family.
“My dad actually stopped going to work for a month because of being fearful of being stopped by ICE,” she said.
Mariana said she also is concerned for children who risk being separated from their parents.
“I feel bad for the kids who are going to grow up without their parents because they, you know, got separated from their families and have to think about what the parents feel,” she said.
There are mixed emotions toward these ICE raids. There are some who agree that these raids should be happening because actual criminals are a threat to communities. However, others believe that they should have the opportunity to live in the United States.
Michelle, another Humboldt Park resident, said the ICE raids anger her “because they obviously come to certain communities and they know where more Hispanics are. It’s frustrating that they are targeting certain communities and taking [away] their ability of living life.”
Many Humboldt Park residents interviewed said they fear getting caught by ICE officials and being separated from their families. Furthermore, many children are prone to be separated at a young age from their families.
Due to ongoing concerns of ICE raids, community organizations are feeling the effects of the increase of immigration detainment. Nonprofit organizations like the New Life Centers, which provides after-school activities and summer camps for many children in Humboldt Park, have seen a significant change during and after the ICE raids.
Jessica Quigley, director of the children’s program at the New Life Centers, said, “Emotionally, it is hard to continue to walk with families, children, and parents who are daily facing insecurities if we don’t know tomorrow holds. The deportations were being rolled out in mass force that some of our families did not leave their houses.”
Quigley said she is mainly concerned about the child safety as she interacts with them daily and grows a connection with them. Seeing families get separated is not the future that she envisions for her program.
With the ICE raids, many families are left uneasy about what the future holds for them. There have been many resources that have been given to the communities all over Chicago. Plenty of organizations are offering their legal help so that families can stay together.
Quigley added that the safety and protection of community members is their top priority by not welcoming ICE agents to their location.
Quigley said, “This is my personal opinion, a very bad sign on our front door as a notification to any agencies that want to try and come in and disregard sanctuary, that this is not a place where they are welcomed. They can come without a warrant, proper documentation, and cannot bust in our doors.”