By Kayla Nguyen and Kobi Guillory
Chicago, IL – A fiery rally took place in freezing weather beside the Little Village Arch on Saturday, December 13. Protesters commemorated Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe by demanding an end to deportations and ICE abductions, justice for victims of ICE, and legalization for all immigrants living in the U.S. as a part of a national weekend of action called by the Legalization for All Network.
Little Village, or La Villita, is a predominantly Mexicano and Chicano neighborhood, which has been a consistent target of ICE since the beginning of Trump’s operation Midway Blitz.
“La virgencita is a symbol for many Mexicanos and Chicanos in the U.S., a symbol of hope and strength as our communities face oppression, so on this Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe we are demanding legalization for all, an end to deportations, ICE out of Chicago, and justice for victims of ICE like our brother who was murdered, Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez,” explained Gianna Escareno, one of the cochairs of the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA).
Escareno recounted the various tactics used by Chicagoans to resist ICE, including know your rights trainings, rapid response networks and mass confrontations. She encouraged everyone in attendance to join an organization and prepare for Bovino and thousands of ICE agents who are rumored to return to Chicago in March.
“Aquí con frío, pero aquí estamos, y no nos vamos. En la historia de la humanidad siempre existe la lucha entre pobres y ricos (It’s cold here but despite this, we’re here and we’re not leaving. Throughout the history of humanity, there has always been a fight between the poor and the rich),” said Irma Morales with Mientras Haya Amor Hay Esperanza, a Little Village-based organization.
“Afortunadamente, hemos aprendido a resistir (Fortunately, we have learned to resist),” Morales continued. She went on to call for solidarity between all oppressed people, a call echoed by other speakers.
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” affirmed Jasmine Smith, one of the co-chairs of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and a leader in the movement to free incarcerated police torture survivors.
“When they attack one of us they attack all of us. We have to come together no matter what color you are because we have a common enemy,” Smith added.
“These are not just raids, but imperial invasions,” Moy Hernandez with New Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) linked the domestic struggles with the international fight against oppression.
“Many people came here to flee the effects of U.S. imperialism, and as a result have spent holidays in cages away from their families, and have suffered inhumane treatment which will never be forgotten,” said Amira Altamimi with the Arab American Action Network (AAAN).
Yusuf Masood with the Anti War Committee (AWC) spoke about an emergency protest in Federal Plaza planned for the day the U.S. escalates its aggression against Venezuela into a full war. He cited decades of sanctions together with the murder of over 80 fishermen and the theft of an oil tanker headed to Cuba as a pattern of escalating imperialist attacks.
“Just like how Trump failed in Chicago, he will fail in Palestine and Venezuela. Oppressed people around the world cry in unison: down with Donald Trump! Down with U.S. imperialism!” Masood declared. He also called on people to attend the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) meeting on December 19 at 8 a.m. to demand divestment from the genocide and occupation in Palestine.
The emcee, Maya Sanchez with the CAARPR Immigrant Rights Working Committee, gave out the phone number for the Family Support Network, a hotline run by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).
“If you see ICE, call 855-435-7693,” Sanchez said to close out the rally.
#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #L4A #CATA #AAAN #SDS #AWC
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