CHICAGO (WLS) — A group in Illinois is launching a state campaign against U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. It is being launched during the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Summit. ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch On Saturday, advocates for immigrant rights launch a statewide policy campaign in response to continued ICE enforcement activities in communities of color. “The power is in our hands that we are the ones that have to step up, get up and defend your rights,” ICIRR summit attendee Sugeira Tellez said. The Chicago area resident was among those attending this year’s Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Summit. The event entitled “Radical Love, Resistance and Resilience” has a clear purpose. “Over the past year, we’ve seen how the Trump administration attacks our communities on a daily basis, whether in Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina or in cities and towns across the country,” ICIRR executive director Lawrence Benito said. The ICIRR kicked off their 2026 policy platform during their annual gathering held at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Over 400 people attend the summit and rally, supported by dozens of neighborhood and advocacy groups to demand change. SEE ALSO | Partial shutdown hits DHS: What to know about negotiations, potential impacts “HANA students share videos of ice goose stepping down the same streets they take to school,” said Andrew De Las Alas, HANA Center suburban youth program coordinator. “Their parents carry passports so they can prove their citizenship. And nearly every week, I hear about a neighbor or a student who has been taken or forced to self deport.” Members and their supporters once again called on elected officials and legislators to support policies that “Fund immigrant services, Protect Illinoisans’ data from ICE and other federal agencies” and “Strengthen the Illinois TRUST Act,” the state law which prohibits local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration actions, among other things. “We know that Black and brown communities will be hit first and hardest,” District 85 Democrat State Rep. Dagmara Avelar said. “That’s not an accident. That’s the design. But here’s what we know, Illinois is not Washington.” Organizers say their rally reaffirms their commitment to fight to abolish ICE and defeat the Trump administration’s agenda.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/icirr-2026-illinois-coalition-immigrant-refugee-rights-summit-launching-state-campaign-ice-border-patrol-agenda/18601453/