FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 26, 2026
CONTACT:
Graciela González
Director of Communications
[email protected]
312-728-4291
CHICAGO — In the wake of this week’s visible ICE presence in Chicago, six leading Latino-serving organizations announce the launch of a new regional initiative to examine the economic consequences of federal immigration enforcement, restrictive immigration policies, and anti-immigrant rhetoric on Latino communities across the Chicago metropolitan area.
Led by Latinos Progresando and the Latino Policy Forum, in partnership with Greater Southwest Development Corporation, Onward Neighborhood House, Erie Neighborhood House, and La Casa Norte, the initiative will produce a comprehensive report documenting how intensified and unlawful immigration enforcement impacts consumer spending, small businesses, workers, and neighborhood economies throughout the Chicago metro area, as well as the ripple effects on the broader regional economy.
The coalition will combine rigorous economic analysis with community-level interviews to better understand both the immediate and long-term impacts of recent immigration enforcement campaigns, such as Operation Midway Blitz, on Latino-majority communities. The report will also identify promising interventions and develop policy recommendations, advocacy priorities, and community investment strategies to help strengthen local economies and build long-term resilience.
The initiative comes at a critical moment for immigrant communities. Recent immigration enforcement operations have left many once-vibrant commercial corridors noticeably quieter, with small businesses reporting sharp declines in customer traffic and revenue. Community leaders say these economic impacts extend well beyond individual families, affecting neighborhood stability, employment, and the broader regional economy.
“Since early 2025, we have seen how violent and aggressive immigration enforcement has devastated Latino and immigrant communities; the physical, emotional, and dignitary harms are real, but so is the economic fallout of lost wages and shuttered small businesses that make it difficult for families to survive,” said Latino Policy Forum President and CEO, Linda Xóchitl Tortolero. “Immigrant communities are economic engines that benefit everyone. When these local economies are hurting, everyone else is too. Understanding and addressing this is urgent and necessary, for all of us.”
“Latino businesses are not only the backbone of their communities, but collectively, a crucial economic driver for the entire City,” said Luis Gutierrez, founder and CEO of Latinos Progresando. “It’s time we truly understand this impact, and what’s at risk without real investment.”
The project will assemble an interdisciplinary team that includes a leading research institution, independent writers and editors, and community partners to produce a report that is both academically rigorous and grounded in the lived experiences of residents and business owners. Although focused on the Chicago metro area, the coalition hopes the research will serve as a model for communities across the country seeking to understand and address the economic impacts of immigration enforcement.
The initiative builds on years of collaborative leadership among the participating organizations to strengthen immigrant communities across Chicagoland. In 2024, several of the same organizations commissioned the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute to produce Fuerza Mexicana: The Past, Present and Power of Mexicans in Chicagoland, a first-of-its-kind report on the history, contributions and experience of Chicago’s Mexican community. A leader in research-based policy advocacy, the Latino Policy Forum has produced and contributed to reports on Latino demographics in Illinois and issues such as challenges facing Latinos in the suburbs, the Latino wealth gap and the disproportionate health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latinos in the state.
The launch of the economic impact study was made possible by an initial investment from the Hispanic Federation. The steering committee is in the process of selecting a research partner, and actively pursuing additional resources to fulfill the full project scope. Once complete, the report will be shared widely with elected officials, civic leaders, business organizations, philanthropic partners, and community stakeholders to inform future policy, advocacy, and investment.
Coalition Partners
The initiative is led by Latinos Progresando and the Latino Policy Forum in partnership with Greater Southwest Development Corporation, Onward Neighborhood House, Erie Neighborhood House, and La Casa Norte. Together, the coalition represents decades of experience advancing economic opportunity, neighborhood development, immigrant rights, and community well-being across the Chicago region and Illinois.
###
About the Latino Policy Forum
The Latino Policy Forum is the only organization in the Chicago area that facilitates the involvement of Latinos at all levels of public decision-making. The Forum conducts analysis to inform, influence and lead. Its goals are to improve education outcomes, advocate for affordable housing, promote just immigration policies and engage diverse sectors of the community, with an understanding that advancing Latinos advances a shared future. For more information, visit latinopolicyforum.org.