ASES presentation in Waukegan outlines immigrant rights during ICE encounters and changes to DACA procedures

Leslie Tenorio, strategic engagement coordinator at ASES, gave a Know Your Rights presentation in Waukegan, Illinois, explaining how immigrants should respond if approached by immigration agents, what to carry as proof of residence, and where to get legal support.

Tenorio emphasized basic constitutional protections and practical steps. "Please recognize that anything that you say could be used against you," she said, urging people to invoke their right to remain silent and to ask for an attorney. She told attendees to memorize phone numbers for trusted contacts and to keep a copy of proof of residence or other documents on their person.

Tenorio outlined how enforcement is organized. She described the Department of Homeland Security as the parent agency and explained the roles of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She warned that ICE enforces federal immigration and customs laws and manages detention facilities.

She advised that local police focus on community safety and that, under state and local policy, there are limits on what local officers may do. "Under the Illinois Trust Act and Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance, there are certain things that local police cannot do," Tenorio said, listing prohibitions on stopping, arresting, or detaining someone based solely on immigration status, asking about place of birth, assisting ICE operations, transferring people to ICE, or sharing information that would help ICE detain someone — with the stated exception of federal criminal warrants.

Tenorio described common enforcement scenarios and types of ICE operations—including workplace, home/community, and public-space raids—and said sensitive locations such as schools, medical facilities, places of worship, shelters, social service agencies, and courthouses are off-limits to ICE as of January 2025.

She explained expedited removal rules: people who entered without authorization and cannot show at least two years' continuous presence in the U.S. may be subject to expedited removal, which can bypass regular immigration-court processing unless the person can show a fear of persecution.

On DACA, Tenorio summarized a recent appellate decision: "On January 17, a federal appeals court ruled that Biden's DACA regulations were unlawful, but protections remain for people who already have DACA," she said, and added that USCIS will not grant or accept initial DACA applications while the case is appealed, though existing DACA holders can still renew their status for now.

Tenorio described how to handle visits from agents at home: ask to see a signed judicial warrant, do not open the door, say "I do not give my consent to enter," record badge and vehicle numbers if safe, take photographs of documents presented by officers, and ask to speak with a lawyer. She distinguished administrative immigration warrants (signed by immigration officers) from judicial warrants (signed by a judge) and said administrative warrants do not authorize entry into private, non-public spaces.

At traffic stops and workplaces, Tenorio reiterated the right to remain silent and to request counsel. She explained that police do not need a warrant to search a car but advised steps to avoid giving officers cause for a stop and to keep passengers' documents secure. For workplaces, she said ICE requires a signed court order to enter non-public areas and that I-9 audits generally require at least three business days' notice to the employer.

Tenorio also provided operational resources: a Know Your Rights card with constitutional reminders and space to record an attorney's contact information; a QR code linking to a family preparedness packet and the agency's materials; and the Family Support Network hotline operated by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, (855) 435-7693, staffed in any language 6 a.m.–9 p.m. with an option to receive a return call after hours. She closed by giving ASES's office address (820 West Greenwood Avenue, Waukegan) and a reception phone number (84722440300) and directing attendees to www.assess.org.

The presentation was instructional and practical rather than policy-making; Tenorio encouraged attendees to keep printed or digital copies of identity and residency documents, to rehearse safety steps, and to contact ASES or the Family Support Network for assistance if ICE activity occurs.