Immigration Fact vs. Fiction: A Local Perspective

Chicago is a mosaic of immigrants from all over the world, many living right here on the Northwest Side. They enrich our lives, and not just the many Polish bakeries, European delis, delicious taquerias and colorful festivals we get to enjoy. Immigrants in Chicago are students, nurses, construction workers, sales people, scientists, entrepreneurs and so much more.

In Donald Trump’s vision of America, the feds round up immigrants in droves to make good TV, like an action movie starring him. But there are nearly 800,000 non-citizens living in the Chicago area at risk of deportation, and one in three children in Chicago has an immigrant parent.

We find ourselves in alarming and dangerous times: Chaotic mass arrests of immigrants as they show up for their check-ins, right here in Chicago. Innocent people disappeared to foreign terrorist prisons. ICE raids and clashes with people protecting their neighbors. Work permits and student visas being revoked. What's really going on?

We’ve enlisted the help of a local expert to help dispel some myths about immigration: Meet Nan Warshaw.

Nan is an Albany Park resident and founder of Refugee Community Connection on the Northwest Side. 

After the 2016 election, she, her partner and their then teenage son were devastated by the results. She wanted to show their son that there were still ways to make a positive difference. They decided they could make the biggest impact locally. After attending a few events on behalf of refugees, they knew where to focus their efforts.

In 2017, Nan and her family launched Refugee Community Connection, an all-volunteer mutual aid network. A music industry professional for decades, she tapped into her huge social network for help. Through donations, they provide essentials like kitchen supplies, small appliances, bedding, clothing, school supplies and more to refugee families transitioning into permanent housing after arriving in Chicago.

This simple idea of neighbors helping new neighbors kept growing until Refugee Community Connection had to move the operation from her home to a space at a nearby church. They’ve continued to expand and serve an ever more diverse refugee population.

What started with a few hundred members is now more than 13,000 volunteers and donors that has helped more than 3,800 households and roughly 14,500 people, just since 2023. 

We asked Nan to explain what she’s learned about what we’re all hearing and seeing from the Trump Administration about its plans for mass deportations.

FACT OR FICTION: The immigrants targeted are all Latin American gang members and criminals.

“I personally started with families from Afghanistan, the people who were embedded with U.S. troops, working side-by-side as translators and supporting America in other ways. They were in grave danger for helping the U.S., so they were brought here on Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and offered a path to citizenship and other assistance. Afghanistan is one of the countries that had Temporary Protective Status until Trump recently revoked TPS for everyone. We now help refugees from many other countries, too, and the mass deportations have deeply affected all of them.”

FACT OR FICTION: People who cross the border seeking asylum are here illegally.

“The many refugee families I work with are not illegal. They are human beings who have come here under various visa statuses, including Humanitarian Parole, Temporary Protected Status, Special Immigrant Visa and others in good faith seeking asylum, which is an internationally recognized legal process. Nobody leaves their home country unless they have to. It’s the place they were born; it’s everything they know. They flee for safety and a better life.”

FACT OR FICTION: America is under attack by hordes of criminals streaming over the border.

“In my experience, these are mostly families with small children. They want to follow all the rules to the letter because they want to stay here. Their worse offenses are things like maybe a car accident. They are very cautious. The Trump administration is not giving them due process before they detain or deport them. There is often no regard for their human rights.”

FACT OR FICTION: Refugees are taking jobs from citizens.

“From what I’ve seen, they are mostly doing the jobs no one else wants. Cleaning houses and offices, commuting to jobs two hours away if they have to. And one thing people might not know is they are paying taxes–even though they won’t see the benefit of those taxes. They pay without complaint, grateful for work. We are actually benefiting from their contribution to the workforce.”

FACT OR FICTION: Immigrants are a drain on our limited charitable resources.

“Once our refugees have received help, they want to give back, too. After a few years they become volunteers to help newer arrivals, and even pass on the donations they’ve received to families who need them. They are so profoundly grateful, and want to pay it forward to other newer arrivals. We see evidence here on the Northwest Side of all the ways they’ve enriched our community.”

FACT OR FICTION: Mass deportations will only affect the bad people. You have nothing to fear if you are legal.

“Mass deportations are stoking fear in the immigrant community, even those here with work permits and visas. Trump’s team is using fear to try to get them to self deport. But many can’t go back. People are afraid to go to school, the doctor, or their church or mosque. Refugee Community Connection has seen a rise in requests for emergency groceries because people are afraid to stand in line at food pantries.

"As things get worse, I’ve been getting messages like this (translation):

'I'm very scared, Mrs. Nan. I haven't left the house for a week. ICE came to our house and knocked on the doors of every apartment. It was very scary, and now we're afraid to leave the house. We don't want to be deported unjustly. I'm very sad, Mrs. Nan. I'll send you the video. So I can see them trying to break into the house. My daughter hasn’t gone to school for a week. But I have to leave my house to work.'"

FACT OR FICTION: You have rights if ICE shows up at your house.

“You don’t need to let ICE in unless they have a legal warrant signed by a judge. You don’t have to speak to them, you can call a lawyer. The Know Your Rights effort is an important way for refugees to protect themselves.”

Refugee Community Connection needs volunteers to coordinate donations and delivery or to provide transportation to an RCC free store for one of their registered refugee families. Learn more on Facebook.

Read more Immigration Stories by Amplify:

• One Portage Park Mom’s Immigration Journey
• Poem: Stand by Your Man

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