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Rideshare drivers rally to support families after Chicago-area ICE detentions
Rideshare drivers are mobilizing to support families affected by recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
CHICAGO - Rideshare drivers are mobilizing to support families affected by recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Several women, whose husbands were detained, are cooking meals to earn money and survive.
What we know:
Some women have been without their husbands for 28 days. They say their husbands are in the country legally and have work permits, but their immigration status has made them targets in the enforcement actions.
The women, immigrants from Kurdistan, share a common struggle: surviving without their husbands, who were the sole breadwinners. Two of the detained men drive commercial trucks, and one is an Uber driver.
A young mother, who did not want to appear on camera, said her husband’s truck was directed to a weigh station near Beverly Shores, Indiana, where ICE agents were waiting.
"They didn’t ask about documents. ICE agents came and grabbed him," she said.
Another woman said her husband was detained under similar circumstances, and she has not been able to locate him.
Her first language is Russian, but she was able to say, "Right now very hard, yeah."
Drivers reported seeing an ICE sweep at the rideshare lot at O’Hare International Airport last Friday.
Since then, other drivers have stepped in to help affected families with food and financial support.
The wives have joined together to cook and sell food at a nearby truck stop to make ends meet. Friends are helping them cover rent this month, but they are uncertain about the next.
One truck driver’s wife, caring for her 4-month-old baby, said the situation grows more difficult each day.
The truck driver’s wife said, "I have a 4-month (old) baby, I’m breastfeeding. With a little one, it’s hard to work, and getting harder day to day."
What's next:
Her husband was first taken to the ICE holding facility in Broadview. He told her it was so crowded there was no place to sit.
He has since been transferred to a facility in Texas and is scheduled for a hearing on Monday.
The Source: The information in this article was reported by FOX 32's Joanie Lum.