Harper Holds Seminar to Help Immigrant Families Know their Rights

CHICAGO – To help protect immigrant families from the Trump administration’s new, extreme immigration policies, state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, hosted a Know Your Rights Seminar on Saturday to highlight legal remedies that are available to immigrant families should they encounter law enforcement.

“I want to ensure that families in my district, and across Chicago, know their rights under the Constitution and how to exercise them if they need to,” said Harper. “No one should be living in fear for their life or fear of deportation, which are serious concerns for members of our community because of the policies of the Trump administration.”

Harper was joined by representatives from the National Immigrant Justice Center, who reviewed with attendees their rights and legal remedies for potential infringement of their rights, in response to President Trump’s recent executive orders that place immigrants at a greater risk of being deported without seeing a judge. Immigration lawyers also reviewed safety procedures at length to prepare immigrant residents and their families for how to react in potential encounters with law enforcement.

“Events like this are critically important to put many people’s minds at ease,” said Harper. “Some families feel like their government has abandoned them and only views them as a target or threat to this nation. Rhetoric and actions that display those sentiments need to stop, and we should focus our efforts on improving the lives of everyone in our community.”