An Elgin-based advocacy group that helps immigrants detained in ICE raids is in need of volunteers and donations as it deals with what one organizer said is a state of emergency.
“Our people are under attack by a racist administration,” said a volunteer who uses the name Amparo, which translated from Spanish means protection or shelter. “We are seeing it on a daily basis. We are seeking support from the community.”
The Elgin Rapid Response Team is one of many organizations established across the country in the wake of President Donald Trump’s clampdown on immigration. In the Elgin area and around Chicago and its suburbs, people who don’t have legal status in the United States are being detained and returned to their native countries under “Operation Midway Blitz,” which started earlier this month.
Elgin Area Rapid Response, affiliated with a larger umbrella group called Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, uses social media to post details on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the area and tries to educate people on their rights should they be approached or detained by a federal immigration enforcement agent, Amparo said.
“These (Rapid Response volunteers) are parents, students and workers,” said Amairani Jarvis, a community organizer for Centro de Información. “Ordinary people doing extraordinary work to protect our community.”
The group’s “migra” watch responds to tips they receive about ICE agents doing raids or detentions around Elgin, and posts the information both verified and unverified as well as details about other events being held, like the recent interdenominational candlelight vigil last week.
“Their mission is clear,” Jarvis said. “Investigate and verify ICE sightings, verify the conduct of officers, and support detained individuals and their families. This work does not stop at verification. These members are the hands that hold the community steady in moments of fear.”
Elgin Area Rapid Response has created a fund to help families by paying for rent, purchasing plane tickets to reunite families and even buying luggage for one family forced to leave, she said.
“This is what solidarity looks like,” Jarvis said.
Amparo said the team helps get immigrants to a safe place.
“We have one man who is going to be deported to the border. His family is afraid for him. They feel he will be in danger. We are supporting him,” Amparo said.
“This is something simple. A $50 bus ticket to transport this man to a safe location. These people are not asking for much. They are asking for their dignity. They are asking for their safety. They are asking for help so we are here to help them.”
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact the Elgin Area Rapid Response Team on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ElginCoImmigrantRights. Donations can be made on the site as well.
“Let us be clear: immigration is not a political issue. It’s a human issue,” Jarvis said. “This is about humanity, our dignity, and the right to live without fear.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.