Be Prepared and Know Your Rights
- IFT
- Sep 5
- 2 min read
Dear IFT Member,
President Trump’s plan to scale up immigration raids in Chicago and the suburbs beginning this weekend is nothing short of an attack on our democracy and attempt to instill fear into our communities to feed his obsession for authoritarian control.
While our union and allies continue to stand up against his tyranny and blatant racism, we want you to know your rights and be prepared to exercise them. Resources are available to assist you in the event you encounter ICE agents in your community.
These websites are excellent sources of information about your legal rights and who to contact if you need help.
Here you’ll find a "Know Your Rights" flyer in Spanish, English, Chinese, and French and many other immigration resources for students and families.
This information hub highlights services and protections for Chicago’s immigrant and refugee communities.
This site offers tips on how to be prepared for interactions with ICE, including emergency phone numbers and a sign up for Eyes on ICE text alerts. (Hands Off Chicago is led by the Illinois AFL-CIO, Chicago Federation of Labor, Indivisible Chicago, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and others.)
We must protect ourselves, our students, and our neighbors at this sad time as our president tries to pit neighbors against one another and distract us from our country’s real problems, including under-resourced schools, colleges and universities, and public services.
As a reminder, I urge you to remain peaceful as you participate in protests in the coming days. While peaceful protest is the hallmark of any democracy and I strongly encourage you to participate, please be safe and remain non-violent. We must not let President Trump use violence as a pretext to send federal troops into Chicago as he did in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. We don’t need or want them here.
Please use these immigration resources to stay alert and prepared this weekend and beyond. The IFT and your local union are here to help.
In Solidarity,
