Evanston Latinos and Allies Confront Trauma of Immigration Raids at Solidarity Event

The recent immigration raids that shook Evanston and neighboring Skokie on October 31 have left a community rattled and traumatized. In response, nonprofit organizers, scholars, and community leaders convened at the Neighbors in Solidarity event to shed light on the long history of Latino migration and the relentless challenges faced by these communities.

Hosted by the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary and the Rotary Club of Evanston in partnership with Evanston Latinos, the event provided a bilingual platform to educate and empower. Attendees were welcomed with traditional aguas frescas and pan dulce, setting a tone of cultural pride and resilience.

Ricardo Villalobos, executive director of Evanston Latinos, emphasized the importance of learning the community’s story beyond surface-level support. “Learn where we come from, learn what we need, learn what is needed to make sure that our community’s thriving, and then support the relationship,” Villalobos urged. His own family’s immigration journey highlighted both the beauty and fear that define many Latino experiences in the U.S.

University of Illinois Chicago professor Julie Dowling traced the roots of Latino immigration to the U.S., warning against simplistic narratives that treat discrimination as a recent development. “Many people want to express support for our community as we’re facing the increased policing and violence,” Dowling said, “But a lot of the language sometimes people use, with all the best intentions, sometimes belies not understanding this history.”

The mental health impact of the raids was brought into sharp relief by Cindy Castro, cultural and community liaison at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. She described how the trauma of immigration enforcement triggers physiological responses long after the agents leave. “When we hear (the whistles), our body gets activated now from that,” Castro explained. “We are traumatized, even from the warning signs of immigration being here.”

Sanctuary Evanston, a local grassroots group, used the event to showcase their efforts to build community resilience, including a free store, community fridges, and a newly formed singing group that lifts spirits at protests and public gatherings.

Despite the pain and fear, the event closed on a note of solidarity and strength. Castro’s final words, spoken in Spanish, resonated deeply: “Together we are stronger, and together we will move mountains.”

This gathering is part of a broader wave of community mobilization against unchecked ICE and Border Patrol enforcement that has escalated in recent months, underscoring the urgent need for sustained activism and support.

For more coverage on immigration enforcement and community resistance, see our related stories on the Halloween raids in Evanston and the protests following ICE-related violence in Minneapolis.