Chicago's immigration court is a place where the lives of thousands hang in the balance. For filmmaker Fatima Omar and Ian Resnick, it's also a story waiting to be told. They're working on a documentary that chronicles the city's response to federal immigration enforcement operations launched here by President Donald Trump.
Omar and Resnick have been documenting Chicago's immigrant community for 12 months, starting with downtown courtrooms and moving out into Little Village alongside rapid response teams. Their film will show what happens when ordinary people find themselves caught in the middle of the White House's deportation campaign.
To capture the scene, they've enlisted the help of courtroom sketch artist Cliff Questel. He sits next to them, drawing a picture of a mother and her two children as they await instructions from the judge, translated into Spanish through an interpreter. For Questel, it's a way to document how the court works and what happens.
The film will also show scenes of everyday life for immigrants living in Chicago, including protests against intensified immigration enforcement. Omar said that the resistance has changed and grown so much, with people trying to keep their neighborhoods safe in innovative ways.
The documentary will be shown at the Edge Theater in Edgewater on Thursday, as part of a test audience screening. The filmmakers are also planning to release clips from the film online, making it accessible to a wider audience. Tickets can be reserved for free online, but the Truth & Documentary team is asking for donations instead of sales.
The final cut of the documentary is expected to be finished by spring, and the filmmakers are now wrestling with how to portray ordinary members of the public when the stakes are so high. They're also looking for moments of humanity and community amidst the chaos.
Omar said that "the one beautiful thing is that the resistance has really changed and grown so much." The film will show the power of people coming together to resist the White House's deportation campaign, and the importance of supporting those who have been impacted by immigration enforcement.
Omar and Resnick have been documenting Chicago's immigrant community for 12 months, starting with downtown courtrooms and moving out into Little Village alongside rapid response teams. Their film will show what happens when ordinary people find themselves caught in the middle of the White House's deportation campaign.
To capture the scene, they've enlisted the help of courtroom sketch artist Cliff Questel. He sits next to them, drawing a picture of a mother and her two children as they await instructions from the judge, translated into Spanish through an interpreter. For Questel, it's a way to document how the court works and what happens.
The film will also show scenes of everyday life for immigrants living in Chicago, including protests against intensified immigration enforcement. Omar said that the resistance has changed and grown so much, with people trying to keep their neighborhoods safe in innovative ways.
The documentary will be shown at the Edge Theater in Edgewater on Thursday, as part of a test audience screening. The filmmakers are also planning to release clips from the film online, making it accessible to a wider audience. Tickets can be reserved for free online, but the Truth & Documentary team is asking for donations instead of sales.
The final cut of the documentary is expected to be finished by spring, and the filmmakers are now wrestling with how to portray ordinary members of the public when the stakes are so high. They're also looking for moments of humanity and community amidst the chaos.
Omar said that "the one beautiful thing is that the resistance has really changed and grown so much." The film will show the power of people coming together to resist the White House's deportation campaign, and the importance of supporting those who have been impacted by immigration enforcement.
How do they ensure their film is accurate and not just propaganda? And what's with the 'innovative ways' to keep neighborhoods safe? What exactly are those? Need more details before I get on board with supporting this project... 
I'm already getting chills thinking about this docu... it's like we're watching a real-life drama unfold in our own city 
The way they're capturing the emotional scenes, the protests, and the everyday life of immigrants living in fear... it's so raw and honest 
And what really gets me is how the resistance has evolved into these amazing community-driven initiatives that are keeping neighborhoods safe 
It's like, we see people coming together to fight for something bigger than themselves, and it gives me hope for a better future 
Can't wait to see the final cut and share it with everyone! 
I've been living in Chicago my whole life and you know how chaotic it is with all the deportations going on. It's heartbreaking to see families torn apart because of politics. I've got a friend whose cousin was deported and now they're struggling to make ends meet... it's so not right 
I've been following his work and he's so talented.
. I mean, I love that they're doing this to shed light on the issue and stuff, but are we sure we're not gonna create more drama than necessary? And don't even get me started on how hard it'll be to portray real-life emotions without making it too sappy 
. But hey, at least it's trying to humanize the situation, right?
... yeah right, they'll be cherry-picking all the cute moments and ignoring the real struggles of the people caught in the middle 
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. Like, these people are taking matters into their own hands and finding ways to keep their neighborhoods safe, even when the government is trying to tear them apart. It gives me hope, you know? That maybe we can actually make a difference if we just support each other enough 
. The fact that they're asking for donations instead of sales is already making me want to donate 
. Can't wait for the doc to come out and share this story with the world!
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. Fingers crossed they finish it by spring and share it with the world 
But you know what's even crazier? The resistance has grown so much and evolved into these tiny communities trying to keep each other safe... that's some next-level bravery right there 
! Need to get tickets ASAP for this test screening, gonna be super eye-opening 
. And let's not forget the role of the White House in all this - it's like they're tryin' to rewrite the rules mid-game without even botherin' to explain the score 
. What's really interesting is how the resistance has evolved and grown, with folks findin' creative ways to keep their neighborhoods safe 
. It's like we're seein' a whole new side of community organizing - it's all about solidarity and lookin' out for one another 
. The filmmakers are tryin' to balance showin' the human side of this issue with the politics, but I think that's where the real story lies 
As for wrestling with the portrayal of ordinary members of the public when the stakes are so high... I think that's where the filmmakers' intentions will really shine through 
But what really gets me is how Omar and Resnick are trying to balance showing the chaos with finding moments of humanity, you feel? 
️ Can't wait to see the final cut – fingers crossed it's a game-changer!
. It's crazy to think that thousands of lives are literally hanging in the balance at one of Chicago's immigration courts. These filmmakers are doing an incredible job of capturing the human side of this story, especially with all the courtroom sketches and everyday life scenes. 
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. But, you know, the thing is... they're not just gonna show the deportation scenes, right? They're also gonna highlight the community's resistance efforts 
. Now, let me ask you... do you think they'll be able to capture some real-life moments of humanity amidst all the chaos?