Illustration by Emily Zhang
I don’t read most school communications; I find them generally uninformative and disappointing, if not entirely anger-inducing. So I wasn’t expecting much from the email sent by dean of students Debbie Martin on the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 3.
The email, “Addressing Concerns Regarding Federal Immigration Activities” is short and unspecific. Martin opens the email noting the “surge of activity from the federal government,” likely referring to the escalated presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Chicago area since Donald Trump’s inauguration and “potential policy changes that may be impacting our community in various ways.” The phrases “immigration activities” and “federal law enforcement” are repeated numerous times with little to no specificity.
The email not only lacked resources, but failed to name the federal government agency in question (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) or the federal and state agencies that ICE is in coordination with, including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and others. Martin instead uses the blanket description, “federal law enforcement,” which predictably does not acknowledge the known and well-documented ways in which federal, state, and local agencies share data via federal/local data-sharing centers known as “fusion centers.”
Regardless of students’ citizenship status, changing policies spearheaded by Trump’s anti-immigrant administration and carried out by ICE and government bodies pose a threat to all communities, including our School of the Art Institute of Chicago campus community, in addition to our neighbors — lest we forget that we are an urban campus situated in the middle of downtown Chicago.
Martin’s email does little to dispel my concerns about the presence of ICE or other government / federal agencies on our campus or in the vicinity of the Loop. But as someone who was arrested alongside over 60 other students, staff, and community members in the North Garden, I don’t expect much from our school’s administration, or really any institution these days. We are each other’s best resources.
Martin’s email left a lot of questions unanswered. Who penned this email? While signed by Martin, who else contributed to drafting it and what other versions were scrapped before this one made it to our inboxes? For example, why does the email, one of SAIC’s few communications on the subject of “immigration activities carried out by federal law enforcement,” include so few suggestions — and none of them specific to Chicago?
It is not my job to pursue these questions because frankly I am not a journalist. I am a community member, and I write to you as someone less interested in chasing down SAIC administrators, and much more interested in cultivating a culture of criticality that de-emphasizes bosses, administrators, and other agents of neoliberalism and capitalist exploitation, allowing us to spend more time caring for one another and exchanging the resources and skills we need to do that.
There are countless ways we can support one another, not just in moments of crisis — when arrests and deportations seem imminent — but in the everyday. The most powerful thing we can do in these uncertain times is to show up for one another — physically, mentally, and emotionally. The new reality is the increased threat of arrest and deportation driven by federal agencies like ICE, in collaboration with both state and federal parties that have little respect for procedures of arrest as dictated by the law.
The threat of arrest and deportation must not be addressed merely at the individual level. We have a shared responsibility to one another regardless of citizenship status; the threats posed by anti-immigrant policy require a shared dedication to keeping each other safe. This means that we must stay informed, alert, and familiar with the networks of support that exist beyond our school and the myriad of carceral systems that are interwoven in our everyday lives. As Black, Indigenous, POC, abolitionist, anarchist, and anti-/non-authoritarian organizers, leaders, and scholars have said time and time again, the state will never keep us safe.
Local Resources —
The Arise Chicago Worker Center is a membership–based community resource for workers, both immigrant and native-born, to learn about their rights and organize with fellow workers to improve workplace conditions. They offer a printable toolkit for immigrant workers, in addition to more resources and information on their website.
In 2014, The Resurrection Project launched its Immigrant Justice team and has since developed a robust variety of educational and learning materials related to knowing your rights and otherwise navigating complex immigration issues. Virtual Know Your Rights trainings are offered every Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. in English, and every Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in Spanish. They also have a printable toolkit available on their website, in addition to a number of other recommendations and resources related to immigrant justice and interacting with ICE and other law enforcement.
The HANA Center is a Chicago-area nonprofit working to meet the critical needs of Korean, Asian American, and multi-ethnic immigrant communities and build power toward systemic change. They offer a variety of services upon request including DACA renewal or citizenship requests, immigration services, and other legal questions.
Additional Resources —
National Immigration Law Center
Other Chicago Area University Resources —
DePaul. “Frequently Asked Questions Related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officers on DePaul University Property | Immigration | Services | Office of the General Counsel | DePaul University, Chicago.” Accessed February 3, 2025. https://offices.depaul.edu/general-counsel/services/immigration/Pages/faqs-related-to-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-officers-on-campus.aspx.
NEIU. “FAQ: If ICE Comes to Campus | NEIU.” Accessed February 3, 2025. https://www.neiu.edu/university-life/undocumented-student-resources/resources-and-education/faq-if-ice-comes-campus.
Northern Illinois University. “If U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Comes to Campus | Undocumented Student Resource Center.” Accessed February 3, 2025. https://www.niu.edu/undocumented/education-and-training/ice.shtml.
Northern Illinois University. “Know Your Rights | Undocumented Student Resource Center.” Accessed February 3, 2025. https://www.niu.edu/undocumented/education-and-training/rights.shtml.
Northwestern University. “Undocumented/DACA: Student Enrichment Services – Northwestern University.” Accessed February 3, 2025. https://www.northwestern.edu/enrichment/resources/undocumented-daca/.
Northwestern University Events. “Know Your Rights Workshop with Glo Choi 1/15/2025.” Accessed February 3, 2025. https://planitpurple.northwestern.edu/event/623909.UIC. “Know Your Rights Resources | Resources for Undocumented Students | University of Illinois Chicago.” Accessed February 3, 2025. https://dream.uic.edu/kyr/.
