LALS Public Statement on ICE Activity in Chicago
LALS Statement on ICE Activity in Chicago
This statement by the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies does not represent the University of Illinois
Chicago, nor is it the university’s official position, nor does it represent the views of all
faculty, staff, and students within the department.
November 6, 2025
The Department of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) at University of Illinois Chicago stands in solidarity with our Chicago Latino community amidst the Trump administration’s campaign to criminalize, dehumanize, and violate the rights of immigrants and their communities. As Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a recent dissent, “We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job.” Even more, we condemn the federal government’s assaults on racialized communities across the Chicagoland area and nationally, and its blatant disregard for constitutional and human rights.
At UIC, ICE agents’ aggressive tactics are causing our students, their families, and communities deep distress. Students are missing classes and struggling to focus on their studies, undermining their academic performance and well-being. Students of Latino and Latin American history understand that arresting, assaulting, dragging, beating, killing, and disappearing people from our streets because of their race, ethnicity, and language is a clear path to authoritarianism that is all too familiar. These tactics recall the darkest period in the history of relations between the United States and Latin America, defined by forced disappearance and systematic human rights violations.
We stand with our students, our diverse communities, and our brave city. United, we survived repression, mass repatriations, and mass incarceration over the past century. We will continue to defend and protect each other. We urge everyone to keep building and strengthening our city-wide solidarity network and rapid response capacity. ¡Aquí estamos y no nos vamos, y si nos echan nos regresamos! Get to know your rights, educate each other, be a faithful witness, join solidarity networks, and connect with the resources listed here.
ICIRR/Family Support Network Hotline: (855) 435-7693
This is the rapid response number of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). Use this number to report suspected ICE presence, the rapid response team will verify. This is also the same number to call after someone has been detained and needs access to a lawyer. Save this number.
UIC Sanctuary for All (sanctuaryforalluic@proton.me)
Sanctuary for All is a collective of UIC faculty, staff, graduate, and undergraduate students across the East and West campuses. They have been committed to working across interests to advocate for the students, faculty, workers, and community members of UIC, given the attacks against international scholars, noncitizens, trans people, and more. They have organized a rapid response network on campus, alongside mutual aid and education efforts.
The Rigo Padilla-Pérez Undocumented Resource Center: dream.uic.edu
Provides resources and support to undocumented and mixed immigration status students at UIC. Services include Know Your Rights education and training, public benefits referrals, legal services referrals, completion of emergency planning, referrals to mental health and wellness services, advocacy, and policy updates relevant to undocumented and mixed-status students, among other services.