RESOURCES FOR ACTION - CHICAGO / ILLINOIS

(Scroll all the way down for Minnesota resources)

TAKE ACTION

BOYCOTT BUSINESSES SUPPORTING ICE
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CfnANsEjROzW1UEVRes4yjsrVRvg64SHNAh9Gvpaki0/edit?tab=t.0 

CALL YOUR CONGRESS PEOPLE
https://5calls.org/
5 Calls is the easiest and most effective way for U.S. constituents to make a political impact. Congressional staffers tally phone calls right away.

IL Senators

Richard Durbin (D-IL)
202-224-2152
Local office numbers:
618-351-1122 - Carbondale, IL
312-353-4952 - Chicago, IL
309-786-5173 - Rock Island, IL
217-492-4062 - Springfield, IL

Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
202-224-2854
Local office numbers:
618-722-7070 - Belleville, IL
618-677-7000 - Carbondale, IL
312-886-3506 - Chicago, IL
309-606-7060 - Rock Island, IL
217-528-6124 - Springfield, IL

IL House Representative

Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
202-225-2111
Local office numbers: 773-506-7100 - Skokie, IL

CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD
CALL your members of Congress to really make sure they hear us! Call the capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senators or Representatives. When you're connected to their office, you can use this call script:

"Hello, my name is [your name], and as a constituent I urge [Senator or Representative name] to oppose any legislation that expands immigration detention and gives ICE or Border Patrol more money to detain and harm our community members. Our communities deserve investment in health, education, and programs that benefit everyone’s well-being, and giving more money to ICE and CBP is unconscionable right now."

GET RID OF RING CAMERAS
If you have a Ring camera, de-install it. Ring partners with Flock, which gives information to law enforcement (without a warrant), including ICE. I know it’s convenient and I know there are a million reasons people like having them, but it literally makes it easier for ICE to surveil your community and abduct your neighbors.

WRITE TO ELECTED OFFICIALS
Tips on writing your letter: https://www.aclu.org/documents/tips-writing-your-elected-officials 

Sample Email or Letter Script:

Dear [Elected Official Title and Name},

My name is _________, I live in ________[town/city] and am part of this community.

I’m reaching out to ask you to [support or oppose] [issue]. [Provide a 1-2 sentence description of the issue].

I’m asking you to [support or oppose] [issue] because _______. [Issue] matters to me because _______.

Please [support or oppose] [issue] when it comes to a vote.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

[Name}

[Address]

[Email or phone if you would like to be contacted]

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
https://www.aclu.org/documents/tips-writing-letter-editor

DONATE / VOLUNTEER

Legal Aid & Human Rights

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois
https://www.aclu-il.org/ The ACLU of Illinois (ACLU), and its affiliated Roger Baldwin Foundation (RBF), are non-partisan, non-profit organizations dedicated to protecting the liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, the state Constitution, and state/federal human rights laws. The ACLU accomplishes its goals through litigating, lobbying and educating the public on a broad array of civil liberties issues.

Alliance for Immigrant Neighbors
https://www.allianceforimmigrants.org/ Alliance for Immigrant Neighbors (AIN) offers affordable legal services to immigrants and refugees.

Beyond Legal Aid
https://www.beyondlegalaid.org/  We create community activism-law programs for, by, with, and within our partner communities. Our model of community activism lawyering unites lawyers and activists to help marginalized communities access justice and pursue social change.

Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR)
https://www.caarpr.org/  The Chicago Alliance is a branch of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression which is a mass defense organization that defends the rights of Black people and all oppressed peoples to unite, organize and fight for freedom, justice and equality.

Children’s Legal Center Chicago
https://www.childrenslegalcenterchicago.org/  Providing free immigration legal services to children and families with children including refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, and victims of human trafficking and domestic violence. They are seeking clothing donations: https://www.childrenslegalcenterchicago.org/ways-to-help/clothing-donations 

Greater Chicago Legal Clinic
https://www.gclclaw.org/  GCLC offers a variety of programs and services to meet the legal needs of underrepresented individuals and families in Greater Chicago. We provide quality legal representation to help with everything from divorce, domestic violence, and other family issues to economic and housing stability to environmental law.

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
https://www.icirr.org/  The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) builds power with over 100 member and partner organizations representing diverse immigrant and refugee communities. Together the coalition works to win policies to ensure a more equitable society rooted in dignity and respect for all. Community resources: https://www.icirr.org/resources 

Immigrant Defense Project
https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/about/  The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) was founded almost 30 years ago to combat an emerging human rights crisis: the targeting of immigrants for mass imprisonment and deportation.

Immigrant Legal Resource Center
https://www.ilrc.org/ Working with and educating immigrants, community organizations, and the legal sector to help build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people

Midwest Immigration Bond Fund
https://www.mibfc.org/ The Midwest Immigrant Bond Fund (MIBF) is a volunteer-run, community-powered revolving fund working across Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to help free people from ICE detention. When someone is detained by ICE, paying bond can be the difference between staying jailed or coming home while they continue their immigration case. By covering the cost of bond, MIBF helps bring people home and keep families and communities connected. Because MIBF is a revolving fund, bond money is returned at the end of a case and reused to help free someone else, stretching the impact of every gift, again and again.

National Immigrant Justice Center
https://immigrantjustice.org/ NIJC combines four strategies to defend access to justice for immigrants and their loved ones, while working to transform the immigration system into one that upholds human rights.

Onward Neighborhood House
https://onwardhouse.org/  133-Years of Community-Based Wraparound Services on Chicago's Northwest Side

Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project
https://www.ssipchicago.org/  Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project is a social impact organization committed to community organizing for the rights of immigrants in Chicago’s southwest suburbs through education, civic engagement, and advocacy.

The Immigration Project
https://www.immigrationproject.org/ The Immigration Project was founded in 1995 with the goal of ensuring legal access to the Immigrant populations of downstate Illinois. Since then, The Immigration Project has been growing and changing, bringing immigration legal services to the immigrants of Central and Southern Illinois.

The Resurrection Project
https://resurrectionproject.org/advocate-for-immigrant-rights/ At The Resurrection Project we build relationships and challenge individuals to act on their faith and values to create healthier communities.

The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights 
https://www.theyoungcenter.org/  The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is the only organization that pairs volunteers with interdisciplinary staff, attorneys and social workers, to accompany and advocate for unaccompanied and separated immigrant children in government custody.

Mutual Aid Networks & Neighborhood Coalitions

Chicagoland Food Pantry List
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQjvIuu0shk2qggR-Ug4VBfWif8hZ_VhGltHIbfe8GA1NwxIi21IAq6QSk1KffqioUYm4Xq9A4UFheK/pub

Chicagoland Pantry Box List
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR3tNEi2jZVZBJmHvg_D_1TiUux7fHVMekQi1S1zr_LQFaTz7ZL_qFKS0R_0voPHVV-pHHD-YA4TkMK/pub 

Chicagoland Food Sovereignty Coalition
https://www.chifoodsovereignty.com/  Working to create an equitable and sustainable community-based food system in Chicago.

Common Pantry
https://www.commonpantry.org/  Common Pantry meets the emergency needs of our local community by providing healthy food, kinship and support to help overcome poverty-related challenges.

Community Kitchen
https://www.communitykitchenchicago.org/  The Community Kitchen provides good wages to food workers, supports local food systems and feeds people delicious meals. 

Friendship Center
https://friendshipcenterchicago.org/ The Friendship Center (TFC) supports Chicago’s northwest side neighborhoods like Albany Park, Lincoln Square, North Park, Ravenswood, and West Ridge by providing budget relief in the form of free, healthful groceries.

Indivisible Chicago 
https://indivisiblechicago.com/ Launched in January 2017, Indivisible Chicago is a progressive organization of activists and coalition of neighborhood chapters throughout the Chicagoland area, representing nearly 40,000 members. Eight years later, Indivisible Chicago is going strong and recognized as a national leader in the grassroots movement to advance progressive values, mobilize voters, and resist MAGA extremism. Neighborhood chapters: https://indivisiblechicago.com/join-a-chapter 

Logan Square Mutual Aid 
https://logansquaremutualaid.org/ Logan Square Mutual Aid is a group of neighbors helping neighbors. In the midst of global pandemics, recessions, and mass migration, we are keenly aware that the most effective thing we can do is to be there for each other.

Love Fridge Chicago
https://www.thelovefridge.com/  We founded The Love Fridge Chicago in 2020 to ensure all of our neighbors always have access to fresh food. Our team of volunteers and local businesses maintain 17 free community fridges across the city to keep them regularly stocked full of fresh food, household items and, most of all, love.

Partners for Our Communities
https://poc.news/  Partners for Our Communities (POC) empowers underserved people to develop self-sufficiency and become leaders in their communities. We build partnerships with other community organizations, connect families with local resources, and remove barriers to access. POC is proud to provide a skilled, culturally sensitive staff that is bilingual and bicultural.

People’s Resource Center 
https://www.peoplesrc.org/  Since 1975, People's Resource Center (PRC) has been bringing neighbors together to respond to hunger and poverty in DuPage County.

Ravenswood Community Services
https://ravenswoodcommunityservices.org/food-pantry-community-kitchen/ Ravenswood Community Services (RCS) provides the basics of food and supplies to our neighbors, respecting the dignity of all and creating community throughout Ravenswood and the surrounding neighborhoods. We strive to offer services and connections to resources that can help people realize health, stability, and self-sufficiency.

GET ALERTS & INFO

Eyes on ICE Text Alerts
https://icirr.quorum.us/campaign/ileyesonice/  Sign up for our Eyes On Ice text alerts to be notified when there is ICE activity in your neighborhood.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Historical Roots of Community Control Booklet
In this book, you will gain critical insights into the fight to end police tyranny and why we need (and we have) an organized, mass movement with clear definable, political objectives. You will receive the download link after submitting donation form. Donate to download: https://www.caarpr.org/historical-roots-booklet 

Know Your Rights Webinar by ICIRR
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RMVZEb4lTtyquvNqxrCBWw#/registration Learn how to protect yourself and your community during encounters with immigration or law enforcement. This workshop will cover our fundamental rights, how to assert them safely, and where to find trusted resources and support.

Migra Watch Training by ICIRR
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YyvLfmQPS5KFgmy_OF6sGQ#/registration  Join the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights' Know Your Rights + Migra Watch Training. This training aims to equip participants with ways to exercise our rights when encountering federal immigration enforcement actions.

The 1619 Project
https://1619education.org/  The 1619 Project launched in August 2019 with a special issue of The New York Times Magazine, including essays and creative works by journalists, historians, and artists. The project illuminates the legacy of slavery in the contemporary United States, and highlights the contributions of Black Americans to every aspect of American society.

Understanding the U.S. Immigrant Experience: The 2023 KFF/LA Times Survey of Immigrants
https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/kff-la-times-survey-of-immigrants/  The survey is the largest nationally representative survey focused on immigrants, interviewing 3,358 immigrant adults in 10 languages. The results provide a deep understanding of immigrants’ experiences, reflecting their varied countries of origin and histories, immigration statuses, racial and ethnic identities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

 

RESOURCES FOR ACTION - MINNESOTA

DONATE

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota
https://www.aclu-mn.org/ Founded in 1952 as the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Minnesota continues to promote, protect, and extend the civil liberties and civil rights of people in Minnesota through litigation, lobbying, and community engagement.

Immigrant Law Center of MN
https://www.ilcm.org/  The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) is a nonprofit organization that provides free immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota and North Dakota.

International Institute of Minnesota
https://iimn.org/  At the International Institute of Minnesota, we help immigrants and refugees make Minnesota their home.

Minnesota 50501
https://mn50501.org/  We are a grassroots organization dedicated to safeguarding our democracy and building a better Minnesota.

Monarca Rapid Response Line
https://monarcamn.org/  Monarca is a coalition of thousands of workers, students, people of faith, parents, clergy, business owners, teachers, caregivers, and young people. We are a movement that has trained over 20,000 everyday Minnesotans as neighborhood observers to help protect people’s rights where it matters most—on the ground, in our communities.

Stand with Minnesota
https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ Donate to the rent fund: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/rent 

Women’s Foundation of Minnesota – Immigrant Rapid Response Fund
https://www.wfmn.org/  We invest in innovative community-based, community-led solutions to ensure equal opportunity and pathways to economic security for girls, women, and families across Minnesota. Donate to the fund: https://www.wfmn.org/funds/immigrant-rapid-response/immigrant-rapid-response-fund-donate/  

TAKE ACTION

Call Hotels Supporting ICE in MN
https://cryptpad.fr/sheet/#/2/sheet/view/C-r3EDXJInlGMR59hX451Vsca14cccEkqLmRzur5XI0/ You can call these hotels to let them know you don't support their collaboration with ICE. Please be polite to staff!