Chicago’s whistle resistance: How the city is fighting against Trump’s immigration crackdown
The raids in the city by federal agents target what the administration says are hardened criminals among immigrants who do not have legal status
In early September, the Donald Trump-led administration in the United States launched an immigration crackdown in the Chicago area.
The raids in the city by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or US Customs and Border Protection agents targeted what the administration said were hardened criminals among immigrants who do not have legal status.
However, some individuals not connected to any crimes have also been detained during the raids, according to Reuters.
Following the crackdown, the sound of plastic whistles became a tool for signalling the presence of ICE agents, serving as a warning to undocumented people to flee. It also invited citizens to record arrests and provide detainees with legal information, which could deter the agents.
A similar instance occurred on Tuesday in Chicago’s North Side, where the shrill sound of whistles warned people about a convoy of federal immigration enforcement vehicles.
“We just saw a bunch of guys with whistles that chased them out,” Luke, a landscaper working near the spot, told Reuters, while refusing to reveal his full name.
How did the whistle resistance in Chicago spread?
Baltazar Enriquez, president of a community group called Little Village Community Council in one of Chicago's largest Latino enclaves, said the resistance “grew like wildfire.” “If we have to patrol our neighbourhood for the next three years, we're willing to do that just to keep our community safe,” Enriquez told Reuters.
The community group had begun handing out whistles to residents in the neighbourhood over the summer. The relentless promotion has turned whistles into a defining symbol of Chicago’s resistance against the deportation crackdown, according to Reuters.
The immigration effort, which has seen an escalation in recent days, lacks an exact end date, sparking widespread protests and resentment among residents.
Following the launch of the crackdown, hundreds of federal agents are conducting raids across the third-largest city in the US and in its suburbs, while often carrying assault rifles and wearing military fatigues.
Amid the raids, volunteers from whistle-making parties and local activist groups have been passing out whistles at local festivals and parades, and also dropping them off at Little Free Libraries.
The ease of use of the whistles and their low cost has also led to them becoming a popular resistance symbol on the streets and on social media. While some residents have picked up whistles from community groups advertising them on social media, others have bought them from Amazon or dollar stores, according to the Reuters report.
Officers not afraid of whistles, says US DHS official
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said the federal officers are “highly trained.” “…they are not afraid of loud noises and whistles,” McLaughlin said.
Further, the impact of the whistles against armed immigration officers is limited. In another North Side neighborhood, residents confronted ICE officers as they were detained a group of landscapers. While their whistles and shouts drew a crowd and elicited names of the detainees to be provided to immigration rights groups, the officers still detained two people, Reuters reported.
“It's just really upsetting,” Joanne Willer, a resident of Albany Park who used her whistle to sound the alarm regarding the detention, told Reuters.
The ICE agents have also teargassed crowds, Albany Park being one of the neighbourhoods to face this. They have also rappeled from a Black Hawk helicopter to raid an apartment building and held people at gunpoint, having also shot two people.
