Dear John, The last couple of weeks have been a devastating reminder of what unchecked power can look like when weaponized against our communities. The Trump administration issued its long-anticipated and racist new travel ban, blocking entry to the United States for people from 12 countries, and has identified 36 more countries that could also be subject to the ban in the future, including many African and predominantly Muslim nations. Here in Chicago and across the country, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are arresting people as they show up to comply with the legal process, at courthouse hearings and surprise “check-ins.” People comply in good faith, seeking fairness through the system, and find themselves disappeared into detention. Some have been taken to undisclosed locations, ripped from their families without notice. This isn’t just cruel, it’s an abuse of power. It’s a strategy meant to create fear, discourage participation in the legal process, and destabilize entire communities. The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) condemns this escalation of attacks on our communities. These efforts have harmed many different people across communities. One of those people is Gladis Chavez-Pineda, an NIJC client and long-time organizer with Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), a community partner NIJC recently honored during our annual Human Rights Awards. NIJC joined Gladis’s legal team when her asylum case moved to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and partners with Beyond Legal Aid in her representation. In early June, Gladis received less than a day’s notice to attend an ICE check-in that turned out to be a trap. |
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Gladis was detained on the spot. Her minor daughter was left behind. And her life and family were suddenly at risk of being permanently torn apart. As OCAD rallied to expose Gladis’s unjust arrest, NIJC acted quickly to file a request for an emergency request to block her deportation, which the federal court quickly granted. Gladis is determined to defend her due process rights and continue pursuing her application for legal protection, and NIJC will continue to represent her at the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. However, Gladis remains detained and separated from her daughter, while a district court in Kentucky decides whether her redetention was lawful. Community members also have shown up to support Gladis and others who have been targeted by ICE, with protests spreading across the country over the past week to oppose the Trump administration's attacks on due process and inhumane disappearances and deportations. Add your voice by signing OCAD’s petition to free Gladis and oppose her unjust detention. |
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NIJC has released a new Know Your Rights resource to help people prepare for the potential ICE encounters at immigration court. It’s important to know that all people in the United States have rights and due process protections, regardless of immigration status. Review all of NIJC’s Know Your Rights guides on our new website at immigrantjustice.org/KnowYourRights. Our time ahead will be difficult. But NIJC’s mission is unchanged and we will continue to establish and defend the legal rights of immigrants. With your support, we will fight back. |
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In solidarity,
Alvin-William Blankson
Communications and Marketing Intern, National Immigrant Justice Center |
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