"Nearly a dozen kids come around the block, some running and others riding their bikes. They are heading straight to the gap between the grocery store and the old apartment building the same area where Immigration and Customs Enforcement vans often park. "We heard they were here so that's why we came," a kid says to another one. By "they" he means ICE agents. He and the other kids were ready to start recording the latest immigration enforcement action in their neighborhood."
""When you see somebody and you see a car or something suspicious, you do a break of a whistle," Ruby says, meaning a soft series of whistles. "If you see somebody being detained the whistle is long, as loud as you can." Ruby is part of a growing number of volunteer groups who, along with advocates and lawyers, are patrolling the streets of Chicago and its suburbs warning migrants of ICE's presence, contacting family members of those detained and linking detained immigrants with legal services."
Volunteer groups and community organizers patrol Chicago and its suburbs to warn migrants about ICE presence, document enforcement actions, and alert neighbors. Children and residents often gather to record activity near known enforcement locations while organizers coach them on safety and documentation. Organizers hand out whistles and teach signal patterns to distinguish suspicious vehicles from detentions and louder signals for actual detentions. Volunteers contact families of those detained and link detained immigrants with legal services. Organizers warn immigrants not to sign documents without consulting an attorney and sometimes conceal identities due to fear of retaliation.
Read at www.npr.org
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