CHICAGO (CIVITAS) — Baltazar Enriquez starts most mornings with street patrols, leaving his home in Chicago’s Little Village on foot or by car to find immigration agents that have repeatedly targeted his largely Mexican neighborhood.
Wearing an orange whistle around his neck, the activist broadcasts his plans on social media.
“We don’t know if they’re going to come back. All we know is we’ve got to get ready,” he tells his followers. “Give us any tips if you see any suspicious cars.”
As an unprecedented immigration crackdown enters a third month, a growing number of Chicago residents are fighting back against what they deem a racist and aggressive overreach of the federal government. The Democratic stronghold’s response has tapped established activists and everyday residents from wealthy suburbs to working-class neighborhoods.
They say their efforts — community patrols, rapid responders, school escorts, vendor buyouts, honking horns, and blowing whistles — are a uniquely Chicago response that other cities targeted for federal intervention want to model.
“The strategy here is to make us afraid. The response from Chicago is a bunch of obscenities and ‘no,’” said Anna Zolkowski Sobor. “We are all Chicagoans who deserve to be here. Leave us alone.”
The Sound of Resistance
Perhaps the clearest indicator of Chicago’s growing resistance is the sound of whistles.
Enriquez is credited with being among the first to introduce the concept. For months, Little Village residents have used them to alert the community about the persistent presence of immigration agents.
Furious blasts both warn and attract observers who record video or criticize agents. Arrests, often referred to as kidnappings, draw increasingly agitated crowds. Immigration agents have responded aggressively.
Activists say they discourage violence.
“We don’t have guns. All we have is a whistle,” Enriquez said. “That has become a method that has saved people from being kidnapped and unlawful arrest.”
By October, neighborhoods citywide were hosting so-called “Whistlemania” events to distribute the brightly colored devices.
Community Spirit and Organizing Roots
Even with its 2.7 million residents, Chicago operates as a collection of small towns with Midwest sensibilities. People generally know their neighbors and offer help.
Rick Rosales enlisted his cycling advocacy group to visit street vendors, buying inventory to lower their risk while supporting their business.
Irais Sosa, co-founder of the apparel store Sin Titulo, started a neighbor program with grocery runs for families afraid to venture out.
Enriquez’s organization, the Little Village Community Council, saw its volunteer school escort group grow significantly.
A Difficult Environment
More than 3,200 people suspected of violating immigration laws have been arrested during Operation Midway Blitz. Activists continue to mobilize and resist, defending their community against federal aggression.
Chicago is becoming a model for community-based resistance, garnering attention from activists across the nation as they seek to empower their neighborhoods against federal policies.
