Wright Community Reflects on Resistance Amid Ice Raids in Chicago

Federal immigration officials are signaling a return to Chicago, and their promises of a sustained presence are adding new urgency to conversations already happening across the Wright College community.

Wright College students and staff shared their thoughts on the raids and the resistance efforts they have witnessed. Their reflections now take on new weight as the possibility of intensified enforcement looms.

Leonardo Chavez, a sociology major, described the atmosphere as scary. He knows people who are undocumented and have been forced into hiding, living under constant stress. "It feels like there is a loss of humanity," Chavez said. "Especially with the way that the enforcement has been handled. Seeing the fear pushed upon certain groups, it makes you angry."

Dr. Jozalea Matias, an anthropology professor and first-generation Filipino American, called the raids horrible. She said they are creating an atmosphere of fear and pointed out that the way agents are operating is illegal and lacks due process. 

Zeke Sysavathly, an engineering student, described the raids as deplorable and a violation of human rights. He sees them as part of a larger pattern. "It's a continuation of what we've seen before with police brutality," he said. "They're doing it in such a show of force, it's a purposeful tactic of fear."

Ricardo Ramirez, also an engineering student, said the raids are causing violence and are violent in nature themselves. He pointed to the lack of identification and transparency from agents. "They can dress in plain clothing, wear a mask, not identify themselves, and just take you," he said. "It could cause people who just want to do harm to others to pretend to be ICE, and no one would know."

Gissella Limon, the head of safety and security, said there has not been any report of ICE on campus but encourages people to notify security if ICE is spotted. “Please report it to security so that then we know where they’re at and what they plan to do. If they come on campus there’s signs out there that it’s private property of the city of Chicago, they’re not allowed to be here,” Limon said.

 Students described neighbors distributing whistles to alert each other of ICE presence, car horns sounding as warnings, and community members following agents to document their actions. 

Sysavathly recalled an incident where ICE deployed tear gas near a school, underscoring the indiscriminate danger of the operations. He said the most meaningful resistance happens at the local level. "The most important thing is community," Sysavathly said. "Knowing the people that you live around, if your neighbor is missing, you have to be on the watch out."

For others, awareness has not yet translated into action. Ramirez said he has seen protests and heard about financial boycotts targeting companies that support ICE but admitted he does not know where to plug in. "It's not super clear where that's going down," he said. "I wish there was a more formalized way for everybody to know."

Matias keeps a whistle on her keychain and has made financial contributions to aid organizations. She worries about family members with green cards and follows the organizing happening in her neighborhood. When her father travels, she wonders if he will be stopped at the airport. When she sees what is happening in other cities, she thinks about her friends and family there. "The fear is there for sure," Matias said.

As federal officials prepare for what they describe as a sustained presence in Chicago, the reflections from Wright's students and staff serve as a reminder that while resistance strategies have taken root, the work of keeping each other safe is never finished. Whistles, watchers and workshops have laid the groundwork. But with immigration enforcement promising to adapt and expand, those strategies will need to keep evolving too.

Kyle Chmielowski contributed to this article.

Whistles to alert if ICE is present surround campus in October. Photo Credit: Kyle Chmielowski.