Imagine a community where fear reigns, where parents are too terrified to send their children to school, and neighbors live in constant dread of being torn apart. This isn’t a dystopian novel—it’s the reality for many under the shadow of aggressive immigration enforcement. But here’s where it gets controversial: What if the real criminals aren’t the undocumented immigrants, but the systems that treat them as prey? Let’s dive into what Chicago’s Rogers Park community is teaching us about resistance, and why it matters to all of us.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration upended a long-standing norm: the unspoken agreement that schools, churches, and hospitals were safe havens from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since then, classrooms have sat eerily empty, with attendance dropping by as much as a third. Parents, gripped by fear, keep their children home, relying on volunteers to escort them to and from school. It’s a stark reminder of how quickly safety can unravel.
In Rogers Park, Chicago, a group of citizens has risen to challenge these raids. Their tactics are as creative as they are courageous. Sometimes, it’s something as simple as walking slowly in front of ICE officers to delay them. Other times, it’s more organized, like the 50 people who rushed to a church last month to protect a congregation trapped inside, alerted by word that ICE agents were waiting outside. One of their most powerful tools? Whistles. Coded blasts signal whether a convoy is suspected or confirmed to be ICE agents. These warnings have saved countless undocumented migrants from driving straight into raids, but the victories are bittersweet. They also witness the devastating aftermath: empty vehicles with doors left open, not stolen, but abandoned by drivers arrested mid-route; landscapers pulled off ladders in the middle of their work. Earlier this month, the Protect Rogers Park group received a staggering 1,500 calls in a single day.
This isn’t an isolated phenomenon. Communities everywhere are standing up. In Kenmore Street, Glasgow, and Peckham, London, neighbors surrounded Home Office vans until officials were forced to release their detainees and leave. But this is the part most people miss: These acts of resistance aren’t just about immigration—they’re about the very fabric of democracy. When governments act like kidnappers, what does the rule of law even mean?
Enter Criminal, a true-crime podcast that’s been running for over a decade. Host Phoebe Judge introduces each episode with a disconcerting pride, her voice a mix of gravitas and intrigue. In the Rogers Park episode, the question lingers: Who’s the real criminal here? It’s not the whistleblowers or the undocumented immigrants. It’s the federal government, whose actions blur the line between law enforcement and lawlessness. This isn’t just a bold statement—it’s a terrifying reality. If your government breaks the law, how can any law be trusted? How do you distinguish between living in a democracy and merely hiding within it?
Hannah Arendt’s concept of Gleichschaltung—“coordination” or “synchronization”—comes to mind. Coined by Nazi justice minister Franz Gürtner, it describes how institutions fall in line with a totalitarian state. This compliance isn’t forced; it’s chosen, moment by moment, by people who prioritize conformity over conscience. It’s turning a blind eye to injustice or arguing that things are normal when they’re anything but. And this is where it gets personal: How many of us would stand up, even if it meant standing alone?
Democrats, for instance, often point to statistics showing that most detained immigrants aren’t criminals. But they rarely call out the detention of 65,000 people as the authoritarian act it is. This isn’t just avoidance—it’s a gradual normalization, a “boiling frog” effect. ICE has existed since 2003, introduced by George W. Bush post-9/11. Barack Obama wasn’t immune to deportations, and while Trump’s policies broke records, nearly 40,000 migrants were already detained when he took office. Democracy doesn’t collapse overnight; it erodes, one unchecked action at a time.
But it’s not just about avoidance. Anthropologist Michael Maccoby, drawing on Erich Fromm’s research from 1930s Germany, noted that only about 15% of people resisted Nazism. It wasn’t fear or fanaticism that drove compliance—it was the herd mentality. Most people follow the majority, even when it leads to moral compromise. Here’s a thought-provoking question: If you were in their shoes, would you resist, or would you synchronize?
The U.S. is now trying to export its anti-migrant agenda, with diplomats in Europe being urged to highlight crimes by migrants. But the story of Rogers Park isn’t just about immigration—it’s about the moment we decide to act. As Olly Knowles from Led By Donkeys put it, “The time to fight fascism isn’t five to midnight.” By then, it’s too late. Every time we ignore xenophobic rhetoric or rationalize oppressive policies, we’re building the herd that will silence dissent when it matters most.
So, what time is it for you? Are you waiting for the clock to strike midnight, or will you act now? The choice is yours—and history will remember it.
