The impressive coalition of Latino, Black, Asian, Native American, Muslim, LGBTQ+, and other minority groups gathered in Humboldt Park's Casa Central on Monday. They spoke with one voice in the aftermath of what has been a traumatic 10 weeks for many across the Chicago area.
"We are standing for our civil rights, but at the end of the day, we are standing for your civil rights, because they started with us, but they are not going to finish with us," said Two Thirds United Co-chair Marty Castro.
Monday's conversation touched upon many issues, including how to take advantage of this period where immigration enforcement operations are continuing, but with a much-diminished force.
"They're going to come back in force in the spring. If we don't think that's true, it's going to happen. We need to fortify ourselves even more so," Castro said.
Among those things is helping families who have lost their breadwinners to arrest and deportation.
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"We are supporting them on an emergency basis. Temporary support for their rent, childcare, car issues," said Ricardo Estrada with Metropolitan Family Services of Chicago.
The group is also addressing the trauma experienced by children who have either had their parents taken away or have witnessed some of the violent tactics used by federal immigration agents across the city in response to those protesting their actions.
"Our incoming class were the COVID babies, right? And we're still recovering from that impact. Now, we add another layer of trauma," said District 7 Chicago School Board Member Yesenia Lopez.
The coalition also discussed ways, at a grassroots level, in which Chicago's experience can inform those in Charlotte and other cities, which are now being targeted for federal immigration enforcement actions.