On a warm night in Elgin, the city celebrates dozens of new US citizens. It’s a ceremony they’ve done for decades. Kids and parents clap as new citizens shake hands with elected officials; there’s cake, music, and speeches.
But, this year, anxiety hangs over the star-spangled festivities. Just days before the event, a video of ICE arresting a man in Elgin while his pregnant wife screams circulated through the community. A few speeches addressed that anxiety.
“Stand with those who don't have the same privileges we do now. Speak out for those still in the fight, for immigrants, for working families, for our neighbors who deserve the same chance we've earned today," said Annie Jarvis.
She's formerly undocumented and now coordinates citizenship classes with the Elgin YWCA and helps families access their services. Those include English courses, childcare, and summer programs for students.
Many immigrant families in northern Illinois depend on organizations like this. But, as immigration raids increase, will those families feel comfortable leaving home to use those services?
“This year, we managed about 200 cases of citizenship applications, and we had about 120 that became US citizens," she said.
Rose Dias runs the Elgin YWCA's immigration department.
“What people don't understand about immigration is that some people are in the process, and it takes 22 years for them to become a citizen," said Dias. "It really is very political. It depends on the country you're from, depends on what's happening, even temporary protective status from Ukraine, where it's being blown up, it's always two years at a time. The way immigration has been set up is for failure.”
Jarvis says their clients are families and the stress on children is incredibly high. They host “temporary guardianship” workshops for families to make sure someone can look after their kids if they get arrested.
“How do you explain to your 5 year old that I can be detained at any moment and I'll disappear?" said Jarvis. "You have to find those kind words to tell them what's going on in the world.”
Dias says kids hear and see a lot. Because of social media, it’s just harder to insulate them from the news.
“We have 10 year olds coming in scared and having anxiety because they're afraid they're going to come home and the parents aren't going to be there," she said.
Jarvis says they have families who pulled their kids out of school and went into hiding for a few months after President Trump’s inauguration.
“We have seen scenarios where ICE would sit outside the schools and wait to see who was being picked up, just to kind of watch everyone," she said.
It’s not just school either. They say they’ve seen a decrease in attendance for their children’s programs, daycare services, and English classes.
“We did see the rate drop for the ESL students, like they were not coming in because someone on Facebook was saying ICE was present," said Jarvis. "They would call in and not come to class, which is terrible, because they're losing that opportunity to learn.”
Students are feeling anxious and so are some of their teachers. Back at the ceremony, one of the new citizens is Esmeralda Mondragon. She’s a 5th-grade dual language teacher in Elgin.
“I was trying to hold back the tears over here. I would try not to think about it, because if I thought about the process, I think I would have started crying," said Mondragon.
She came to the US from Mexico when she was 8 years old. She’s been a resident for close to a decade and is now finally an official U.S. citizen. She says fear of the Trump administration’s immigration policies is what made her feel like she needed to take this last step.
“I think that's the main reason why I became a US citizen, because of everything that's going on," she said. "Because I feel like with the residency, you get a bit scared that they can take that away from you.”
The YWCA’s Annie Jarvis says she doesn’t want people to get their citizenships just out of fear, she wants to make sure they understand the benefits: to vote, to participate in democracy.
“I challenge you today, use the responsibilities that come with your citizenship, learn who we are putting into power, because they are the ones who decide whose rights are protected and whose voices are ignored," she said.
As the crowd of families cheer the new citizens, Jarvis says she wants people to have compassion for immigrant families who’ve risked everything to try to do what's best for their kids.
