Peaceful protest outside South Loop immigration office calls for compassion toward immigrants

CHICAGO — Faith leaders and community members gathered outside the Chicago Immigration Court office in the South Loop for a peaceful protest, urging compassion for immigrant families.

The purpose of the gathering was to show solidarity with those affected by immigration policies and enforcement actions.

“That every time a family comes into this courthouse, they are treated with respect and dignity,” Pastor Julie Contreras said. “That ICE agents stop shackling and chaining them and criminalizing them. There’s something called due process in our nation.”

The demonstration included prayers and public calls to implement policies that protect vulnerable families and provide a pathway to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants.

Baltazar Enriquez, the President of the Little Village Community Council, says the community must stand united and support those impacted.

He says the Latino community is being deeply affected, pointing to an incident that allegedly took place Monday near Cermak Road and Kilbourn Avenue in which two men and a woman with her child were detained by ICE agents.

“ICE agents just pulled over this car, drug them out of their car without a warrant, without any document, just kidnapped them. We don’t know what their location is. It’s very hard for us to even find out who they are,” Enriquez said.

Enriquez says they are coordinating with a rapid response team to identify the individuals who were detained and to contact their families in order to secure legal representation for them.