ICE Alert Message from Senator Mike Simmons
Dear Neighbor,
Over the past week I have continued to witness and receive reports of ICE activity and detainments throughout the 7th District. If you have not already, please add the ICIRR (Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights) hotline into your phone: 855-435-7693. If you witness ICE or encounter them yourselves, please call this number immediately.
My team and I have witnessed, first-hand, ICE agents on our streets across the 7th District including in Rogers Park, Lincoln Square/Budlong Woods, Edgewater, Lakeview, Ravenswood, Uptown, and West Ridge. ICE has been active throughout the northside over the past week, abducting neighbors with no due process nor respect for guaranteed rights provided by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. It is illegal activity and a gross overreach and abuse of federal power.
On Sunday at around 10:30-11 a.m., I was out scouting for ICE near a supermarket in West Ridge when a neighbor alerted me that a violent abduction had just taken place a block away at Western and Touhy. I could not believe how the ICE agents kidnapped the person from the car by smashing the window and left the car abandoned in the middle of a busy intersection at Western and Touhy with glass on the street and the person’s ID, medications, and carseat and stuffed animal in the car. I recorded this video at the scene as I stood with shaken neighbors and remained vigilant for more ICE activity throughout the day while making contact with the Secretary of State's office to secure the car and am working with them to get the car back to the family. I then walked and biked around the 7th District in my official State Senate vest helping to scout for ICE and comfort our neighbors and supporting our rapid response and mutual aid networks.
Since last Thursday (October 9th) in the 7th District, we have seen the following incidents, but these are in no way exhaustive of everything that has happened:
- Multiple neighbors and landscapers detained by ICE at Lincoln and Foster in Lincoln Square, including the unlawful and violent arrest of a WGN producer.
- One landscaper was abducted at Sheridan and Catalpa in Edgewater.
- At least two neighbors were abducted at Clark and Lunt in Rogers Park alongside the harassment of a long-time tamale vendor who is a lawful permanent resident.
- At least one neighbor was detained at Magnolia and Leland in Uptown.
- ICE sightings outside of local schools, including Ravenswood Elementary.
- ICE harassing and threatening neighbors conducting community watch efforts with threats of arrest and physical violence.
- Additional sightings and detainments tracked by local rapid response teams that are quickly forming and mobilizing in response to ICE’s increased activity in the 7th District. See the rest of this newsletter for full details on how to get involved with rapid response teams.
I and my staff are working closely with local rapid response and mutual aid networks to ensure safe passage for students and families to and from school. I and our 7th District staff have also been out by bike across the 7th District on the lookout for ICE, attending community solidarity events, and assisting families and neighbors that I have seen affected by ICE directly. I’ve also been in daily communication with my colleagues in the General Assembly and allies across the State government to share community organizing plans and even locate loved ones that have been taken by ICE.
It is crucially important that everyone knows their rights regarding immigration status, how to respond to ICE if you encounter them, how to safely and accurately report ICE activity, and how to connect with the community and help keep one another safe. Direct information on how to connect to training, outreach efforts, and upcoming events can be found through ICIRR, Protect Rogers Park, and ONE Northside. Please see below for specific upcoming training and events.
My office and I have received an outpouring of supportive responses from people from all over northern Illinois who want to help. I am so proud of our community, who has come together, mobilized, and vowed solidarity in protecting one another.
I am currently in Springfield for the first week of the Fall veto legislative session. Veto runs from October 14-16th and 28-30th.
I am aggressively raising questions in the Senate about several concerning components to what has unfolded here. First, yesterday I have demanded answers as to why the Illinois State Police has been on site at the Broadview Detention facility in Broadview, Illinois where several protestors have been violated exercising their free speech rights to demonstrate. I also am deeply concerned that there has been little or no communication with legislators in our oversight capacity as to why the state troopers have played any role at Broadview. I will continue to push aggressively for answers on this. I was proud to strongly support and vote for the Illinois Trust Act in 2021 which prohibits Illinois law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. And we need to remain a sanctuary state where our state troopers, Chicago police, and other law enforcement do NOT cooperate with ICE – period. And I am furious at the sustained violence unleashed onto Chicago and our neighborhoods in recent days. This is not a time for complacency from our elected officials and those in power and we all need to be working together actively and in good communication to bring an end to all of this.
I also am ready to strongly support several bills that are in development for the current veto session that would work to stop ICE enforcement activities in or near our schools, hospitals, and other community spaces as we’ve seen in the recent days. I am working actively to shape these bills to make sure they will be robust and effective at keeping ICE out of our communities. I will keep you updated in my successive newsletters as the legislation is drafted and considered in the next two weeks.
See you all again soon. If you need to reach my office, please call 773-769-1717 or email
Sincerely,
Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District
ICE Rapid Response Trainings
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) (Serving Residents Anywhere in 7th District)
ICIRR hosts weekly Rapid Response trainings open to anyone including individuals, organizations, community members. The next scheduled training open to the public is on Monday, October 20th at 3:00 p.m. Register for this training linked here. For full information on ICIRR’s upcoming public training sessions, please visit their Google sheet linked here.
If you are part of an organization or community group that would like to host a training workshop led by ICIRR, you can request training with a form linked here.
Protect Rogers Park
(Serving Residents in Rogers Park)
Protect Rogers Park is a group of neighbors committed to protecting the Rogers Park community, especially our vulnerable neighbors. Protect Rogers Park has been regularly hosting virtual ICE Watch & Community Defense Training sessions and posts community alerts via social media. Their training on Monday reached over 1,000 attendees. Please follow them on Instagram and Facebook, @protectrp_.
Protect Ravenswood, Lincoln Square & Northcenter Event
19th District Mutual Aid is holding a fundraiser tomorrow, October 15 at Begyle Brewing from 7-9 p.m. to help provide housing and financial support to our immigrant neighbors. The event will also include tabling by organizations with whom people can volunteer. Please use this link or the QR code to RSVP.
ONE Northside
(Serving Edgewater/Uptown, and Entire 7th District)
ONE Northside is organizing Rapid Response/Neighbor-to-Neighbor network groups and training. Visit their website for more information linked here. Additionally, follow their social media for quick reports on ICE sightings from ONE Northside in collaboration with Advancing Justice Chicago (AJC) and Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA).
Know Your Rights / Conozca Sus Derechos
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) Family Support Network Hotline and Fact Sheets
‘Know Your Rights’ fact sheets and wallet-sized cards are available in English, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Quechua, Russian, Spanish, Ukranian, Urdu, and Vietnamese at icirr.org/fsn.
Know Your Right Training for Local Businesses and Employees
The City of Chicago Committee on Immigrant & Refugee Rights along with Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Vietnamese Association of Illinois (VAI), State Representative Hoan Huynh, 46th Ward Alderwoman Angela Clay, Alderwoman Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, and Arise Chicago are hosting a workshop to inform local businesses and employees about their rights on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. This is a free workshop that will be provided in English with translation in Vietnamese. The event will be virtual and in-person at Vietnamese Association of Illinois (5110 N Broadway St Chicago IL 60640). Registration is required linked here.
The Resurrection Project (TRP) Immigration Justice - Weekly Know Your Rights Trainings
The Resurrection Project trainings are designed to ensure that immigrants know what to do if they encounter ICE or federal agents — from understanding your rights, protecting family members and assets, to getting legal help. TRP hosts ‘Know Your Rights’ trainings in English on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. and trainings in Spanish on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. Learn more on their website linked here. You can sign-up for scheduled trainings linked here.
How to Report ICE - DIY Zines
Check out this printable guide on ‘How to Report ICE’ linked here created by New York City-based illustrator Megan Piontkowski. There is a guide specifically for Chicago and a crafting guide included in the Google folder.
Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter! If you ever want to reach out to our office, please call us at 773-769-1717, and we will respond promptly. We can also be reached at
