CHICAGO (February 14, 2020) – The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is issuing the following response to the New York Times report that the federal administration will deploy tactical border agents to communities like Chicago that restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement:

The reported deployment of excessively armed border agents to immigrant-welcoming communities only further illustrates how deranged and divorced from reality this administration's immigration priorities are.  Our communities will stand strong against this attempt to intimidate us and our neighbors. We will continue to educate ourselves and our neighbors about our rights and stand ready to help anyone harmed by this administration's excessive tactics. And we will stand up and be counted in the Census this spring and at the polls this fall.

To report any incidents involving ICE enforcement, please call or text the Family Support Hotline 24 hours a day, 855-HELP-MY-FAMILY (855-435-7693). For more information, please visit icirr.org/community-resources.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a statewide coalition dedicated to promoting the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. For more information, visit www.icirr.org.

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