On Devon Avenue, news of immigration raids intensify fears
Marwa Eltagouri 11 hrs ago
News that Chicago was one of the cities targeted this week by federal agents in a series of immigration enforcement raids has intensified growing fear and anxiety in immigrant communities -- even among families with legal status.
In the West Ridge neighborhood, South Asian and Arab families with green cards are still shaken by President Donald Trump's immigration order last month banning travel into the United States from seven largely Muslim countries. So when rumors began this weekend that federal agents were visiting Devon Avenue businesses to inquire into peoples' immigration statuses, some residents thought it best to lay low.
They stopped shopping, thinking twice about whether to leave their homes for unnecessary trips. If they did, they were sure to carry their immigration documents to prove to whoever might stop them that they were authorized to live in the country.
"One family, they told me they heard someone ring their doorbell at 9 p.m. at night. It could have been anyone but maybe it was DHS. They held their blankets in their beds and waited," said Shabbir Patel, a community leader at the local mosque, Jamia Masjid.
"Every time the doorbell rings, they get scared," he said.
Federal immigration authorities arrested hundreds of unauthorized immigrants in at least a half-dozen states this week. Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 25 to crack down on the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country without legal status.
Trump's order expanded the list of deportation priorities to include any noncitizen who is charged with a criminal offense of any kind or who is suspected of committing criminal acts, fraud or willful dishonesty while interacting with immigration officials, is the subject of a pending order of removal or has been previously deported and reentered the country. The order gave much broader leeway to ICE officers in deciding whether someone posed "a risk to public safety" and therefore could be detained.
Chicago's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office made more than 200 arrests across six states -- Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri -- during an operation that began Feb. 4 and concluded Friday, said spokeswoman Gail Montenegro. She declined on Friday evening to say if there was a surge recently in the operation. In an emailed statement, however, ICE officials said the operation was routine.
But the operation's timing less than one month into Trump's administration has led to a climate of helplessness, neighbors say. A shop owner on Devon asking to remain anonymous said the rumors of arrests and inquiries in the area have affected local businesses.
"We've gone days without a sale in our store. People aren't walking on the streets. They come in for necessities, maybe just stop by. But I don't even see the foot traffic... they feel almost targeted," the owner said.
ICE officials in a statement said the reports of immigration enforcement checkpoints and sweeps were "false, dangerous and irresponsible."
"These reports create mass panic and put communities and law enforcement personnel in unnecessary danger," the statement said. "Any groups falsely reporting such activities are doing a disservice to those they claim to support."
Some West Ridge families with legal documentation, like visas or green cards, worry those documents could be revoked NOW by federal agents. Patel attended a meeting of local community leaders Friday where residents vocalized their concern that, should they be netted by federal agents, they wouldn't be able to contact their family members for help, he said.
Patel also works at a refugee assistance program at Makki Masjid, a mosque in Albany Park. The program has helped settle refugees from Burma, Syria and Iraq, assisting them financially and with practical advice for living in Chicago.
"They've been calling these last three weeks in panic," Patel said, referring to Trump's travel ban. "'Are we gonna get our green cards taken away?' they ask. 'Are we allowed to walk on the streets? Look for jobs? Go grocery shopping?'"
Patel has been directing the families, now concerned about the raids, to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He's also inviting immigration lawyers to an informational meeting next month for families with questions about their rights.
"Everything is up in the air," he said. "Every day we pray for each other -- especially people who are already here through the right process."
source
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/on-devon-ave...id=UE07DHP
Marwa Eltagouri 11 hrs ago
News that Chicago was one of the cities targeted this week by federal agents in a series of immigration enforcement raids has intensified growing fear and anxiety in immigrant communities -- even among families with legal status.
In the West Ridge neighborhood, South Asian and Arab families with green cards are still shaken by President Donald Trump's immigration order last month banning travel into the United States from seven largely Muslim countries. So when rumors began this weekend that federal agents were visiting Devon Avenue businesses to inquire into peoples' immigration statuses, some residents thought it best to lay low.
They stopped shopping, thinking twice about whether to leave their homes for unnecessary trips. If they did, they were sure to carry their immigration documents to prove to whoever might stop them that they were authorized to live in the country.
"One family, they told me they heard someone ring their doorbell at 9 p.m. at night. It could have been anyone but maybe it was DHS. They held their blankets in their beds and waited," said Shabbir Patel, a community leader at the local mosque, Jamia Masjid.
"Every time the doorbell rings, they get scared," he said.
Federal immigration authorities arrested hundreds of unauthorized immigrants in at least a half-dozen states this week. Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 25 to crack down on the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country without legal status.
Trump's order expanded the list of deportation priorities to include any noncitizen who is charged with a criminal offense of any kind or who is suspected of committing criminal acts, fraud or willful dishonesty while interacting with immigration officials, is the subject of a pending order of removal or has been previously deported and reentered the country. The order gave much broader leeway to ICE officers in deciding whether someone posed "a risk to public safety" and therefore could be detained.
Chicago's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office made more than 200 arrests across six states -- Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri -- during an operation that began Feb. 4 and concluded Friday, said spokeswoman Gail Montenegro. She declined on Friday evening to say if there was a surge recently in the operation. In an emailed statement, however, ICE officials said the operation was routine.
But the operation's timing less than one month into Trump's administration has led to a climate of helplessness, neighbors say. A shop owner on Devon asking to remain anonymous said the rumors of arrests and inquiries in the area have affected local businesses.
"We've gone days without a sale in our store. People aren't walking on the streets. They come in for necessities, maybe just stop by. But I don't even see the foot traffic... they feel almost targeted," the owner said.
ICE officials in a statement said the reports of immigration enforcement checkpoints and sweeps were "false, dangerous and irresponsible."
"These reports create mass panic and put communities and law enforcement personnel in unnecessary danger," the statement said. "Any groups falsely reporting such activities are doing a disservice to those they claim to support."
Some West Ridge families with legal documentation, like visas or green cards, worry those documents could be revoked NOW by federal agents. Patel attended a meeting of local community leaders Friday where residents vocalized their concern that, should they be netted by federal agents, they wouldn't be able to contact their family members for help, he said.
Patel also works at a refugee assistance program at Makki Masjid, a mosque in Albany Park. The program has helped settle refugees from Burma, Syria and Iraq, assisting them financially and with practical advice for living in Chicago.
"They've been calling these last three weeks in panic," Patel said, referring to Trump's travel ban. "'Are we gonna get our green cards taken away?' they ask. 'Are we allowed to walk on the streets? Look for jobs? Go grocery shopping?'"
Patel has been directing the families, now concerned about the raids, to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He's also inviting immigration lawyers to an informational meeting next month for families with questions about their rights.
"Everything is up in the air," he said. "Every day we pray for each other -- especially people who are already here through the right process."
source
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/on-devon-ave...id=UE07DHP
