A video that went viral Thursday of a man being detained by federal immigration agents at an East Chicago bakery marked a significant moment for many of those who gathered Saturday to protest at East Chicago City Hall.
“I think it has been happening for months in the Chicago area, but what really angered me was the video of the man being detained at La Rancherita bakery,” said Grecia Alcantar, a 2022 East Chicago Central high school graduate and senior at the University of Notre Dame. “The way that they cuffed him against the Virgin Mary — that in juxtaposition was absolutely crazy.”
Alcantar posted the video on Facebook and was one of many who called the office of East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, demanding a response. Copeland later said that the city was dismayed by the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents but couldn’t kick them off the city-owned parking lot where they were staging.
“Even though what was said in the press release wasn’t necessarily what we were looking for, I do think that there was power in … the community response. And we practiced one of our rights, being able to voice our opinion.”
Armed with signs “Fight Ignorance not Immigrants” and “The only ICE I like is in my Horchata,” Saturday’s crowd built to nearly 300 people lining Indianapolis Boulevard in front of East Chicago City Hall. Activists shared their families’ immigrant experiences and chants via bullhorn from a median that was under construction.
Veronica Guerrero, who is originally from East Chicago but lives in Griffith, attended the protest with her kids and sisters and is seeing firsthand how ICE’s presence is affecting the students she teaches in Illinois.
“I’m a teacher,” Guerrero said. “Students are afraid to go to school, and parents are afraid to send them. We’re going to see it more and more.”
“They are targeting minority groups and that’s not OK, and our president’s a criminal,” she said. “What are we doing focusing on grandmas and children?
“I have brown children, and they shouldn’t be targeted because of the color of their skin.”
Officials have confirmed that “Operation Midway Blitz,” a federal immigration enforcement campaign in Chicago, includes Lake County, Indiana.
The protest was planned three weeks ago by Gary native and Purdue University Northwest political science student Rafael Manzo, who founded More Action for Students on campus in January, but momentum picked up late this week when a flurry of local ICE arrest videos were shared on social media.
Manzo said activists were angry about the contrast between how the mayors of Hammond and East Chicago handled ICE’s presence in their respective cities. When ICE vehicles attempted to set up a staging area at the Hammond Police Department, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott told them to leave, clarifying that the city does not have any agreements or partnerships with ICE.
Copeland has said East Chicago police will not partner in any immigration enforcement in the city, but emphasized that the East Chicago Police Department’s parking lot is open to the public and could be used by other law enforcement agencies.
“People feel like Hammond did it like this (quickly) and East Chicago took its time,” Manzo said.
East Chicago Councilmen Dwayne Rancifer and Terence Hill were on hand for the protest and said the city and its attorneys are looking into what it can do to protect its residents.
“If we don’t do something about it, it may get worse,” Hill said. “They’re taking citizens they say committed crimes, but how do you know? They’re just taking anyone of Latin descent. If you’ve got a Mexican flag or anything on your hood, they’re going to stop you.”
East Chicago Councilman Robert García said Friday he plans to introduce an ordinance barring ICE from using city property.
Rancifer said he saw ICE vehicles in the city parking lot around 5:36 a.m. Thursday.
“Seeing it firsthand was extremely disturbing. I didn’t see how they had the authority to do so,” Rancifer said. “I understand that they might say that taking away different federal dollars (if we pass measures affecting ICE), but I believe at some point we have to go beyond the financial impact to the impact on the community.”
Tom Dorris, an 83-year-old Vietnam veteran from St. John, carried his “ICE show your face” sign as he pushed his walker into the crowd and was motivated to come out due to ICE’s treatment of children in particular.
“I’ve seen the government make a lot of mistakes, but in 83 years, I’ve never seen the government do anything like this. We have to resist and protect those who cannot protect themselves.”
A representative who answered the phone at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said Lake County, Indiana, residents can call its hotline at 855-435-7693 to report ICE activity or connect to resources.
Meredith Colias-Pete contributed.