February 17 Updates

National

• Understanding New ICE Policy on Church Access:

  • https://covchurch.org/resource/understanding-ices-new-policy-on-church-access-legal-rights-and-preparedness-for-congregations/

• NIJC explainer for New Class Action Settlement Requires ICE To Stop Rampant Constitutional Violations For People Subject To ICE Detainers

• When most law enforcement agencies arrest someone, the Fourth Amendment sets guardrails to protect the impacted person’s constitutional right to liberty. Typically, law enforcement must prove to a neutral reviewer, usually a judge, that there is probable cause to keep this person in jail. That is not the case for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has routinely issued forms called “detainers” to local authorities requesting that they keep an individual extra time, so an ICE officer can pick them up. Historically, there has been no neutral oversight of the probable cause for the detainer arrest. A new settlement agreement under Gonzalez v. ICE is set to change this for most of the United States starting on March 4, 2025.

Chicago

• The Inclusive Economy Lab and GiveDirectly are providing up to $6,500 in unrestricted cash assistance to families experiencing homelessness in Illinois. The goal of this program is to understand whether cash assistance can meaningfully improve housing stability and academic outcomes for families experiencing homelessness.

• We need your help connecting with eligible families before March 9th! To be eligible for this program, a family must:

• Be experiencing homelessness. Families living doubled up are eligible, but must be enrolled in their school district's McKinney-Vento services by the relevant cut-off date.

• Include a parent/guardian and at least one child 17 or younger.

• Include a student who is enrolled in a public school in Illinois.

• Reside in one of the following counties: Cook, Kane, Lake, Peoria, St. Clair, Will, Sangamon.

• Include a current recipient of one of the following benefits: SNAP, TANF, VTTC Cash, and/or State Food.

• If your organization works with families that may be eligible for this program, please share the application and program information below.

• If you have questions about the program or ideas about the best way to reach eligible families, contact Rayden Kaplan-Casella at the Inclusive Economy Lab.

• APPLY HERE BEFORE MARCH 9

• Learn more about the program HERE