The sound of whistles: Chicago neighborhood leads the way in ICE resistance

The activist wears an orange whistle around his neck and posts his plans on Facebook.

“We don’t know if they’ll come back or not,” he tells thousands of his followers. “All we know is that we have to prepare.” “Give us any tips if you see any suspicious cars.”

Moments later, his phone rang.

As an unprecedented immigration crackdown enters its third month, a growing number of Chicagoans are resisting what they see as racist and aggressive federal government overreach. The Democratic stronghold’s backlash has tapped entrenched activists and ordinary residents from affluent suburbs to working-class neighborhoods.

They say their efforts — community patrols, rapid response, school escorts, vendor buyouts, honking and honking — are a response unique to Chicago, which other cities targeted by President Donald Trump for federal intervention want to model.

“The strategy here is to make us afraid. Chicago’s response is a bunch of obscenities and ‘no’s,” said Anna Zulkowski Sobor, whose northern neighborhood witnessed agents throwing tear gas and tackling an elderly man. “We’re all Chicagoans and we deserve to be here. Leave us alone.”

The voice of resistance

Perhaps the clearest indication of growing resistance in Chicago is the sound of whistles.

Enriquez is credited with being among the first to introduce this concept. For months Little Village residents used it to broadcast the constant presence of immigration agents.

Violent explosions warn and attract observers who record videos or criticize customers. The arrests, often referred to as kidnappings because many agents cover their faces, attract increasingly restless crowds. Immigration agents responded aggressively.

Officers fatally shot a man during a traffic stop, while other agents used tear gas, rubber bullets, and physical force. In early November, Chicago police were called to investigate the shooting of the agents. No one was injured.

Activists say they do not encourage violence.

“We don’t have weapons. All we have is a whistle,” Enriquez said. “This has become a method that has saved people from kidnapping and illegal detention.”

By October, neighborhoods across the city were hosting so-called “Westleymania” events to package the brightly colored devices for distribution through businesses and free book kiosks.

“They want that orange whistle,” activist Gabe Gonzalez said. “They want to nod to each other on the street and know they are part of this movement.”

Midwest sensibilities and organized roots

Even with a population of 2.7 million, Chicagoans like to say that the nation’s third-largest city functions as a collection of small towns with Midwestern sensibilities.

People generally know their neighbors and offer help. Word spreads quickly.

When immigration agents began targeting food vendors, Rick Rosales enlisted his cycling advocacy group: Cycling x Solidarity. Host tours to visit street vendors, purchasing their inventory to reduce their risks while supporting their businesses.

Iris Sosa, co-founder of clothing store Sin Titulo, started a neighborhood program that includes grocery shopping offers and rideshare gift cards for families who are afraid to leave the house.

“This neighborhood feel and support is part of the essence of Chicago,” she said.

Enriquez’s organization, the Little Village Community Council, has seen the volunteer walking group that accompanies children to school grow from 13 to 32 students.

Many also credit the grassroots nature of the resistance to Chicago’s long history of community organizing and unionization.

Tom Homan, Trump’s “border official,” said Chicago-area residents were so aware of their rights that making arrests during a different operation this year was difficult.

So, when hundreds of federal agents arrived in September, activists poured their energy into an emergency hotline that sent response teams to collect information, including the names of detainees. Volunteers also distribute videos online, warning about duplicate license plates or following dealer cars while honking their horns.

Protests also broke out quickly. Recently, high school students launched strikes.

Delilah Hernandez, 16, was among dozens from Farragut Career Academy who protested on a school day. She carried a sign bearing the Preamble of the Constitution as she walked through Little Village. She knows many people who have relatives in detention.

“There’s a lot going on,” she said. “You feel it.”

Difficult environment

More than 3,200 people suspected of violating immigration laws were arrested during the so-called “Operation Midway Blitz.” Dozens of US citizens and protesters were arrested on charges ranging from resisting arrest to conspiracy to obstruct an officer.

The Department of Homeland Security defended the operation, claiming that officers encounter hostile crowds as they pursue violent criminals.

Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol commander who brought controversial tactics from operations in Los Angeles, described Chicago as a “very lenient environment.” He blamed safe haven protections and elected leaders and defended the actions of agents that are the subject of the lawsuits.

But the severity of the process may subside soon.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will target other cities, Bovino told The Associated Press this month. He did not elaborate, but Homeland Security officials confirmed on Saturday that increased immigration enforcement had begun in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the operations will not end in Chicago.

interest nationwide

Alonso Zaragoza, along with a neighborhood organization in the immigration-heavy Belmont Cragin area, printed hundreds of “No ICE” stickers for businesses. Regulators in Oregon and Missouri have asked for advice.

“It has become a model for other cities,” Zaragoza said. “We are building leaders in our community who teach others.”

Turnout for virtual “Know Your Rights” training sessions offered by the pro-democracy group States in the Heart has doubled from 500 to 1,000 over the past month, attracting participants from New Jersey and Tennessee.

“We train and let it go, and the people of Chicago are the ones who run with it,” organizer Jill Garvey said.

Waiting for what comes next

Enriquez completes up to three rotating shifts daily. Aside from physical effort, work takes its toll.

Federal agents visited his home and questioned his family members. A US citizen relative was handcuffed by agents. His car horn no longer works, which he attributes to overuse.

“This was very painful,” he said. “It’s very scary because you will remember it for the rest of your life.”