Statement on On the ICE Abduction at Local daycare

Today the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hit a new low when armed agents followed a daycare teacher into her workplace in the North Center neighborhood. Parents who were dropping off their children watched in horror as she was forcefully abducted by ICE, who then searched the daycare as children cried for their c

aregiver. 

The Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ) condemns this latest atrocity in the months-long, unlawful occupation of Chicago’s communities. In recent days, our communities have also witnessed ICE agents smashing a citizen’s face into the pavement in Evanston, disrupting a children’s Halloween parade with tear gas, and breaking a 67-year old citizen’s ribs in Old Irving Park. 

Under the patently false guise of “protecting” citizens from so-called “criminal aliens”, ICE is traumatizing entire communities. They are physically, emotionally, and psychologically scarring children, seniors, workers and families. The harm they are perpetrating against Chicagoans - citizens and immigrants alike - is all in the name of lies that have been fabricated to justify attacks on communities of color. 

We must continue to shine a light on their lies. They are lying when they say they’re only targeting violent criminals, and they’re lying when they say they aren’t detaining citizens. 

Sending armed militia into a school - to arrest one person, whose only offense is allegedly being in this country without proper documentation - is a violation of children’s human rights. Parents should be able to drop their children off at school and know that they will be safe. Children should feel as safe and secure at school as they do at home. 

As our own government sends masked, armed men into our schools, churches, and hospitals, that sense of safety is rapidly eroding in Chicago, with consequences that these children will feel for decades to come. This has got to stop now.  

In solidarity with the impacted family and community, please support their GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-our-teacher-help-support-costs?attribution_id=sl:9e2aef43-8bda-43b8-b9e1-0c4c843e48d0&lang=en_US&ts=1762361775&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp17_te&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

We stand against the abduction of our community members - whether they are undocumented, documented, or U.S. citizens. We stand against the violent suppression of peaceful protesters who are trying to protect their cherished neighbors. And we stand against a federal administration that turns its weapons on the American people.

What can we do about this?

ICE and DHS aren’t acting alone - other agencies and vendors are enabling their atrocities. It is time for us to speak out against every organization and corporation that is profiting off the kidnapping of our neighbors. 

Join us on Thursday, November 6 at 12:00pm as we expose ReloDirect, a relocation service who is benefitting by relocating ICE agents.

We are demanding they cease all business with DHS and stop supporting the destruction of our community.

And if you can’t be there, you can contribute by boycotting the following brands and services: 

• Spotify (for giving a platform to ICE recruitment ads)

• AT&T (for supplying ICE with telecommunications and facial recognition technology)

• UPS and FedEx (for delivering supplies for ICE - use the USPS instead!)