End of Year Updates from CAIR-Chicago! | | |
As we enter 2026, CAIR-Chicago remains on the front lines—defending civil rights, challenging censorship, and safeguarding our community.
Hear from CAIR-Chicago's Executive Director, Ahmed Rehab:
| | RECAP: Webinar on the Expanded Travel Ban & Immigration Updates | |
The Trump administration’s new travel ban, effective Jan. 1, 2026, adds Palestinians, Syrians, and families from multiple African, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries to the list of fully or partially barred travelers.
We hosted a critical webinar on Dec. 19, watch the recap below:
| | Join AMLE, the American Muslim Legal Ecosystem! | | |
CAIR Chicago and Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) are building something our community has needed for years: a simple, trusted way to find legal support fast. The American Muslim Legal Ecosystem (AMLE) connects people to verified legal organizations and resources when the stakes are high.
You can help us grow it.
Visit the portal. Share it with your networks. Encourage local orgs to add their info.
| | |
“This is not about security. It is about targeting people based on nationality and political identity, and it will devastate families across Chicago and the country,” Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Chicago, said in a statement Wednesday. “(Trump aide) Stephen Miller, a far-right ideologue with a problematic track record of undermining our constitutional values, seems to have been given a carte blanche to do as he may — and that is dangerous for America and the world.”
Restricting immigrant visa processing also makes it more difficult for families to reunite and pursue lawful pathways to residency, Heena Musabji, Legal Director of CAIR-Chicago, said in a statement. “This policy inflicts real harm on people who have done nothing wrong.”
| | |
|
WVON Radio: Ahmed Rehab Speaks on TX Gov. Abbott & FL Gov. DeSantis’ Attacks on CAIR
"Both Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida are Israel-first politicians who want to smear and silence Americans, especially American Muslims critical of U.S. support for Israel's war crimes," - Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director
| PRESS STATEMENT: CAIR-Chicago Denounces Expanded Travel Ban, Warns of Dangerous Return to the 2017 “Muslim Ban” | |
(CHICAGO, IL, 12/17/25) – The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, denounces the Trump administration’s latest expansion of its 2025 travel ban that will go into effect on January 1, 2026. The update adds seven new countries — Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Syria — to the list of fully barred nations, blocks entry for individuals traveling with Palestinian Authority-issued documents, and removes prior protections that allowed U.S. citizens to reunite with immediate family members from affected countries.
We urge anyone impacted by these bans or harmful immigration enforcement operations to reach out for legal support and solidarity:
| |
As an airline passenger, you are entitled to courteous, respectful and non-stigmatizing treatment by airline and security personnel. It is illegal for law enforcement officials to perform any stops, searches, detentions, or removals based solely on your race, religion, national origin, sex, or ethnicity.
LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS AS A TRAVELER
| |
💬 Know Your Rights — Be Prepared!
CAIR-Chicago and the Muslim Bar Association of Chicago are offering Know Your Rights Presentations to help Chicagoland mosques, community centers, Islamic schools, and businesses understand how to respond to ICE and protect their communities.
📍 We’ll come to you in person or meet virtually via Zoom — your choice!
🔗 Sign up today at cairchicago.org/request-a-speaker
| | CAIR-Chicago Joins CAIR at MAS-CON! | |
CAIR-Chicago will be teaming up with CAIR National at MAS-CON this weekend Inshallah!
From December 26–28 at McCormick Place in Chicago, join CAIR at the largest and most diverse Islamic convention in North America for an inspiring weekend of learning, connection, and community.
Stop by our booths C52 & D51 and get a limited-edition First Amendment T-shirt, limited quantities available.
| |
Also, join important conversations led by CAIR leaders on civil rights, justice, and advocacy:
Dec 26 at 3:15 PM (S105BC): Exposing the Pro-Israel Lobby’s Anti-Muslim Tactics
Speakers:
· Nihad Awad, National Executive Director, CAIR
· Edward Mitchell, National Deputy Director, CAIR
· Khaled Beydoun, Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University
· Osama Abuirshaid, American Muslims for Palestine
Dec 27 at 3:15 PM (S105BC): Silencing Brave Voices for the Ummah
Speakers:
· Nihad Awad, National Executive Director, CAIR
· Osama Abuirshaid, American Muslims for Palestine
· Esam S. Omeish, MD
Dec 28 at 10:30 AM (S105A): The Hidden Motives Behind Right-Wing Anti-Zionism
Speakers:
· Nihad Awad, National Executive Director, CAIR
· Margari Hill, Independent Consultant
| | |
Participate In A Multimedia Project
"First Light, The Skylarks Sing" is a multimedia portrait project exploring the lived experiences of Muslim immigrants in the Chicagoland area. Through photography, audio, video, and narrative text, the project documents the emotional, social, and cultural complexities of immigration—focusing on themes of identity, belonging, resilience, and representation.
Calling all interested participants, willing to share their stories!
| | | | |
