Chicago immigrants are staying home from work and school due to fears of mass deportations brought on by President Trump’s first-day executive orders.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump immediately got to work, signing a flurry of executive orders. One, in particular, has residents of Chicago hiding in fear. The “Protecting People Against American Invasion” executive order authorizes the “efficient removal” of immigrants.
Martin Ramos, an undocumented immigrant, spoke to The Chicago Tribune about the uncertainty surrounding his family’s future.
“We have to do everything possible to keep our children safe,” Ramos told the
Tribune. “What will they do if we get deported?”Ramos heard from a coworker that only ten of more than 40 employees showed up to work at the Joliet factory. The father said he is unsure when he will return to his blue-collar job, as he is hunkering down, hoping for a change in the current mandates.
“All we can do is take all precautions possible and stay home as long as we can,” he said.
Though Ramos’s actions may seem extreme to some, they may be an equal response to the current administration’s plans.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on Jan. 21, rolling back an executive order introduced by President Obama that denied ICE or any law enforcement the right to intercept suspected undocumented individuals in sensitive areas such as schools and churches.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest. The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement and instead trusts them to use common sense,” DHS said in a statement.
While sweeping raids with unchecked boundaries are one facet of the “Protecting People Against American Invasion” executive order, other sections are just as concerning.
Section 10 of the order gives ICE the authority to “establish contracts to construct, operate, control, or use facilities to detain removable aliens,” effectively granting the government control over immigrant’s physical persons for an indeterminate amount of time.
Faith leaders and teachers across the nation are speaking up about rolling back protections for immigrants in safe spaces, NBC News reported.
Rev. Kenneth Phelps of Chicago is preparing to protect the city’s vulnerable citizens.
“We’re preparing for an attack, we’re not just going to wait until they do it. We’re taking the offensive and training those that are in our community for how to handle this.”
Rev. Beth Brown, a pastor of the Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church, echos the sentiment and is ready to stand in the gap for Chicago’s immigrant population.
“ICE cannot enter our building without a signed judicial warrant,” even with the policy change, she said.
The people of Chicago appear to be committed to fighting what they see as injustice in one of the nation’s sanctuary cities.
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