2 Chicago nonprofits say they received threats due to immigration support: 'Go back to your f-----g country'
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson discusses ICE arrests
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson discussed the recent string of ICE arrests of undocumented immigrants in the city.
CHICAGO - Two Chicago-based nonprofits have reported receiving threats due to their positions on immigration, amid ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the country, including in Chicago.
Both organizations, Healthy Hood Chicago and the Pilsen Food Pantry, are located in the Pilsen neighborhood.
What is Healthy Hood Chicago?
The backstory:
Healthy Hood is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood that provides health programs and resources to the community.
Founded in partnership with Youth Health Service Corps, a youth-led health initiative, the organization offers education and resources aimed at addressing five common diseases affecting communities of color.
Healthy Hood promotes early detection, proper nutrition, and regular physical activity as ways to help prevent these illnesses. Originally established as a community center, it has expanded its programs to include educational initiatives focused on long-term health and wellness.
What is the Pilsen Food Pantry?
The backstory:
The Pilsen Food Pantry was established in 2018 by the Figueroa Wu Family Foundation to provide food and essential supplies to the community.
The pantry operates with a team of four employees and a network of volunteers, including students, healthcare professionals from the Illinois Medical District, and local residents.
It offers a range of food items, including fresh produce, eggs, meat, grains, beans, and canned goods, as well as household necessities such as menstrual products, toothpaste, and light bulbs.
Reported threats against Chicago nonprofits
What they're saying:
The Pilsen Food Pantry posted a message it said was texted to them on Facebook, with a caption that read:
"We aren’t going anywhere! This shameful message was sent to an immigrant pantry volunteer last week. As a private non-government organization our space is private and cannot be entered without an appropriate warrant. We stand tall with all migrants and resist the opposition’s hateful xenophobic ignorance! Our walk up numbers have been lower so we might need more delivery volunteers to get food to families afraid to go outside."
They posted a follow-up message that read, in part:
"Thank you for the unequivocal support, community. We need to be loud and support one another as much as possible."
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Healthy Hood Chicago also released a statement after it said it received threats.
They released a statement on Instagram that read, in part:
"We’ve recently faced two serious security threats: an individual experiencing a mental crisis attempted to set fire to the parsonage, and two MAGA supporters from "Frontline America" livestreamed outside our church, labeling us a threat for our stance on issues like immigration."
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ICE raids in Chicago
What we know:
The reported threats to local nonprofits come as ICE, along with several other federal agencies, began what they called "enhanced targeted operations" in Chicago this month.
ICE said it was working with its federal partners "to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities."
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove visited Chicago earlier this week to "personally observe" immigration enforcement operations long touted by President Donald Trump.
Chicago residents, especially in immigrant circles, have already been on edge for months in anticipation of large-scale immigration arrests promised by the Trump administration.
Immigrant rights groups have tried to prepare with campaigns for immigrants to know their rights in case of an arrest. City officials have done the same, publishing similar information at hundreds of public transit stations.
The backstory:
President Trump made border security, crime, and illegal immigration a central part of his campaign, and he kicked off a mass deportation campaign just days after taking office.
His series of executive orders directed the federal government to "employ all lawful means to ensure the faithful execution of the immigration laws of the United States against all inadmissible and removable aliens."
Raids have been taking place for several days, mostly concentrated in cities with ICE field offices like New York, Chicago, and Atlanta, though some have taken place elsewhere.
RELATED: Tracking reported migrant ICE raids, arrests: List of states
The Source: The information for this article was provided by Healthy Hood Chicago, the Pilsen Food Pantry, previous FOX 32 reporting, previous FOX Digital reporting and previous reporting from the Associated Press.