CHAMPAIGN — Shifting U.S. laws have created a climate of fear and uncertainty for immigrants across the U.S. and in east-central Illinois.
“It’s a very complicated time for immigrants in our community,” said Janel Gomez, equity and compliance manager in the Department of Equity at the City of Champaign.
In the midst of all this, she said, “there are people that are willing to help, willing to guide the way and to provide resources for our immigrant friends and neighbors.”
In an effort to show support for immigrants in the local community, several immigrant support and service agencies in Champaign County are partnering to host nearly 30 events as part of Welcoming Week, a project of Welcoming America – a nonprofit dedicated to fostering inclusive communities.
Gomez is part of the group that organized the first of those events Wednesday evening, Sept. 9, titled “Welcoming Voices: Rights, Resources and Resilience,” at the Illinois Terminal in Champaign.
Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen opened the event with a proclamation, establishing Sept. 9 through Sept. 19 as “Welcoming Week” in the cities of Champaign, Urbana and Rantoul.
Feinen said she and other local mayors “recognize the importance of working together in order to create and support strong, secure and successful places to live, work and play.”
Nine panelists shared their backgrounds and experience with immigration work and discussed resources available to support the local immigrant community.
Micheal Cervantes, Urbana’s interim deputy chief of police, shared changes that the department has made to better serve and protect the immigrant community. Cervantes spearheads the Latino Liaison Program and said he and his officers advocate for immigrants convicted of crimes.
Cervantes said he has begun training officers in “survival Spanish,” in an effort to break the language barrier and protect both victims and officers.
“We’re doing it intentionally to teach officers key phrases that you can’t get through a body camera…[or] Google Translate,” Cervantes said. “Key phrases they need to know such as ‘manos arriba’… ‘hands up’ and ‘no te muevas’… ‘don’t move.’”
He also said that UPD is debuting new squad cars marked with phrases that distinguish their vehicles from those used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We want people to know that we’re not ICE. We put that on there intentionally so that they weren’t afraid that we were ICE stopping them,” he said.
Champaign’s Welcoming Week officially kicks off at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, with a party featuring free food and cross-cultural performances at Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana.
The Refugee Center and Immigrant Services CU joined the University YMCA’s New American Welcome Center in leading this year’s events. The full list of “Welcoming Week” events is posted on the NAWC’s website.