Illustrations

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I.C.E. in the Heartland

In This Community… (2022) is a series of illustrations created by artist Carolina Jones Ortiz in collaboration with the “ICE in the Heartland” project led by Dr. William Lopez and managed by Elena Cohen. Based on the 2018 ICE worksite raids that swept across the US heartland, each illustration tells a story of community-building in the face of separation. Research for the artwork comes from various interviews, fieldwork, news articles, opinion pieces, photographs, the experiences of the research team, and videos on the matter.

The aftermath of ICE raids is felt beyond the individual level. The pain of separation travels across whole communities–even across the cracks that divide them internally. The artwork of In This Community…(2022) does not ignore the rifts within communities of the US Heartland. The images reflect on this tension–recognizing the efforts and limitations of connection.

In This Community…(2022) spotlights community leaders who rise after raids. Each illustration takes us to a different leadership setting: the family home, coalition meetings, and the school classroom. In these scenes, the struggle to provide support mixes with the hope of building networks. These imperfect attempts look like: handing your mother a fresh cup of coffee, translating dialogues, or putting up public messages of support. In the aftermath of an ICE raid, you will find a community rebuilding itself. You will see mothers and daughters, translators and messengers, teachers and students. In the aftermath of an ICE raid, you will see connectors.

Read more about this project:

https://iceintheheartland.lib.uiowa.edu/

https://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/news-events/lsa-magazine/Spring-2023/after-the-raid.html

2020.

In April 5th, 2018, ICE arrested 97 undocumented immigrants at their workplace without asking for their immigration status first. 7 of those arrested sued ICE claiming to be racially profiled by the agency. White employees at the slaughterhouse where the raid took place were allowed to have a smoke while their Latinx co-workers were rounded up. I created this illustration hoping to convey the apathy and complicit behavior that bystanders engaged with in the face of injustice. I also wished to highlight how indifference is a tool of white supremacy.

Done in collaboration with Dr. William Lopez and the Michigan Carceral State Project.

Learn more at: ICE in the Heartland.

2020. “Donuts & Zip-Ties”

In 2018, Corso’s workers were lured into their breakroom by undercover agents offering them donuts, where they were soon rounded up and arrested in zip ties. For this illustration, we liked to play with the deceiving nature of the bait used by ICE officers. In the center stage, we find the box with an assortment of donuts and zip-ties, and in the backdrop, we find everyday objects that serve as warning signs that something is off. From the “waiting for you” sign to the mysterious sign-up sheet, we see how a common workplace can be transformed from a place of trust to a site of trauma.

Done in collaboration with Dr. William Lopez and the Michigan Carceral State Project.

Learn more at: ICE in the Heartland.