Sept. 30 2-3:15 p.m. in the Spartan Auditorium, professor Antonio Ramirez coordinated with Sr. Attorney Laurie Cholula Chang and Community Organizer Amairani Jarvis to inform how to manage ICE contact.
Ramirez, a history professor, provided a background on the events of Sept. 18. That morning, a student was reportedly detained in the parking lot outside of Building K on the ECC campus. There was at least one student witness and they were able to record the scene. Ramirez said this was the “only reason we know what happened.” However, it’s likely that the school has footage recorded on the incident as well, as almost all the entrances/exits at Building K are covered by at least one camera.
Ramirez stated “ICE has been acting without guard rails… (they) could show up anywhere to detain people.” As a history professor, he found these events to be “unprecedented in American history.”
Sr. Attorney Chang is an advocate for immigrant rights. She shared a presentation entitled, “Know Your Rights.” In her slides, she went into detail about the workings of ICE, how new administrations are handling this, and, most importantly, what to do in the event of ICE contact.
Some media outlets portray ICE raids as a method to round up lawbreakers. Chang notes, “it’s a lie that ICE is only going after criminals.”
Chang’s key takeaways are spreading awareness, helping individuals exercise their rights, creating safety plans, and her final statement, “Stay silent, minimal identification, and remember that federal agents can lie to you.”
For those still learning English, Chang recommends practicing these phrases in English: “I have the right to remain silent. I want to speak to my lawyer. I want to make a phone call. I want to see a judge. I will not sign any document I don’t understand. Am I under arrest? Am I free to leave?”
The more information an individual can draw from, the better their position will be in the event of detention. “When the public is well educated… This makes their (ICE) job a lot more difficult.”
Community Organizer Jarvis presented offerings on available resources to those affected by ICE activity. A couple of examples she included were integration services and rental assistance. For event participants, there were several documents with options in both English and Spanish that were free to take.
It’s easy to feel powerless. “Often we believe that elected officials have all the power. It’s not the reality. Who do you think has the power? Well, yeah, people hold the power of community” said Jarvis. Knowing your rights is paramount, as is standing up for them. Her presentation included and stressed materials on the Elgin Area Immigrant Alliance.
There’s a place for everyone to help and provide support. Anyone can be part of the committee and make a difference in their community.
“All four of us would work together to make sure all the resources are being given to these communities.” Jarvis said in reference to the Immigrant Alliance group—CWC, Centro, YWCA, Casa Michoacan.
The objective is “to collectively educate, empower, and support the immigrant community.” Jarvis stated, “The meetings that we have. The more stories we hear. It all empowers us—educating us.”
Jarvis wraps up by promoting a training event taking place in Building B, 182 at 4 p.m. During this training, committee members will go into detail about what the Immigrant Alliance group does. This includes reporting ICE sightings, dispatching teams to verify those sightings, canvassing, and recording everything. Jarvis also highlighted the members that accompany students to school to ensure they arrive safely.
Both Chang and Jarvis offered their time and services without any monetary expectation, and encouraged anybody who needed help to come and seek it. At the end, participants were given the opportunity to ask Chang and Jarvis their questions. They answered accordingly and Chang properly directed one individual to come speak with her in a more private setting. Their responses, as well as their presentations, were knowledgeable, detailed, and relevant. Clearly all of the speakers care deeply about the current immigration situation and families impacted by ICE activities, as well as the current direction of the federal government.
There is still not much known about the student that was detained, but Ramirez has confirmed he has legal counsel. Unfortunately, he has little direct contact with this student. Their contact is similar to ‘my cousin’s friend’s wife’s sister.’ However, Ramirez did confirm he’ll attempt to contact this student for his consent in releasing the video of his detainment. Until then, ECC’s members may still wonder what exactly happened the morning of the 18th.
