"As an unprecedented immigration crackdown enters a third month, a growing number of Chicago residents are fighting back against what they deem a racist and aggressive overreach of the federal government. The Democratic stronghold's response has tapped established activists and everyday residents from wealthy suburbs to working class neighborhoods. They say their efforts - community patrols, rapid responders, school escorts, vendor buyouts, honking horns and blowing whistles - are a uniquely Chicago response"
"Baltazar Enriquez starts most mornings with street patrols, leaving his home in Chicago's Little Village on foot or by car to find immigration agents that have repeatedly targeted his largely Mexican neighborhood. Wearing an orange whistle around his neck, the activist broadcasts his plans on Facebook. "We don't know if they're going to come back. All we know is we've got to get ready," he tells thousands of followers. "Give us any tips if you see any suspicious cars." Moments later, his phone buzzes."
Baltazar Enriquez conducts daily street patrols in Little Village, using an orange whistle and Facebook to alert followers and solicit tips about immigration agents. An unprecedented immigration crackdown entering a third month has prompted residents across Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs to mobilize. Organized responses include community patrols, rapid responders, school escorts, vendor buyouts, honking horns and blowing whistles. Activists characterize enforcement as racist and aggressive and aim to counter federal intervention. Public recordings and crowds frequently follow arrests, sometimes called kidnappings when agents cover their faces, escalating confrontations.
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