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Chicago Transit Authority and Mayor Launch ‘Know Your Rights’ Campaign

The Chicago Transit Authority digital display ads will appear at over 400 locations across the Chicago region

By Todd R. Berger

1.23.25 Chicago Transit Authority launches Know Your Rights campaign for immigrants
Chicago Transit Authority screens feature ‘Know Your Rights’ information, directing riders to multilingual resources. || Courtesy of City of Chicago

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson launched a public awareness and ad campaign on Jan. 23 to ensure residents of Chicago know their rights in the event of being stopped and detained by federal immigration agents. The ad campaign, featured on video screens across the transit system, directs riders to online resources and guidance for visits by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Chicago will always be a welcoming city, not just by ordinance but also with our inclusive and loving spirit,” says Mayor Johnson in a prepared statement. “Our ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign in collaboration with the Chicago Transit Authority is a demonstration of our commitment to protecting and supporting all people of Chicago. I appreciate CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. and the CTA for implementing this awareness campaign, and I look forward to our city’s continued efforts to stand strong in our welcoming stance.”

“We want to affirm that our public transportation system is looking out for the constitutional rights afforded to all who ride our trains and buses,” says Carter. “The Chicago Transit Authority supports the mayor’s efforts to ensure that our riders have access to helpful guidance if they feel their rights are being violated.”

The ads will be displayed on over 400 screens across the Chicago Transit Authority system and carry with them a QR code that directs riders to the city’s ‘Know Your Rights’ campaign website. It includes resources in English, Spanish, and French informed by The Resurrection Project, National Immigrant Justice Center, and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

In addition to resources for people struggling because a member of their family has been detained by ICE, the website offers helpful information, including a link to ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System if you believe someone you know is being held by ICE.

Other helpful information includes contact information for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services hotline to obtain information about immigration court proceedings and tips for obtaining free immigration legal services.

chicago.gov

transitchicago.com

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