(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As the threat of mass deportation looms under the soon-to-be Donald Trump White House, immigrant rights advocates in Chicago are in a massive push to educate undocumented immigrants about their rights.
Eréndira Rendón is the VP of Immigrant Justice at the Resurrection Project in Pilsen. The group is now in a push to educate Chicago's undocumented community with critical information concerning their rights, how to prepare for an emergency, and how to navigate potential legal interactions.
"We were expecting this, and so this is a moment to make sure their community knows what their rights are. I myself, am a DACA vetted immigrant," Rendón said.
She highlighted a number of basic rights for all residents of Chicago and Illinois – regardless of documentation – the right to remain silent, the right to not open the door, the right to speak with an attorney.
Rendón said it's also time to prepare any documentation an individual might have and to come up with an emergency family plan in the case that they are detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
There are a number of resources available through the Resurrection Project website and the sites of many other immigrant rights groups across the city.
Advocates are joined in this push by elected leaders at the city, county, state, and national levels.
U.S. Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García (D-4th) among them.
"We continue to assert that immigrants are good for this community, they're good for
Chicago, for Illinois and the United States of America," García said.
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