Sign up for Travel Safety Checks & The Latest on Chicago

Pony at the desk

We’re excited to see you in Chicago! We know that travel in the United States may not feel as safe and easy as it has in past years. To help provide some peace of mind, we’ve built a Travel Safety Check system. You can enter your contact and arrival info as well as an emergency contact. DEFNA board members will reach out to you via Whatsapp or Signal soon after your scheduled arrival to make sure you made it safely. If we’re unable to reach you, we’ll notify your emergency contact.

Whether you are traveling within the country or flying in from abroad, we know travel can be stressful. If you’re traveling alone, it can feel especially overwhelming, and we want you to know you don’t have to navigate it entirely on your own.

If that sounds like something that would give you some peace of mind, please register today. Only DEFNA board members have access to the system, and we’ll delete the data 30 days after the conference.

What’s going on in Chicago?

There has been a lot of posturing and public comment over the past week or so about the US federal government sending National Guard troops or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to Chicago. At this point it looks like movements are being made to follow through on this, but we do not know exactly what to expect on the ground–or when.

Here’s what we know:

  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased its activity in the Chicago area. These agents tend to wear masks over their faces, baseball caps, and minimal uniforms that say “police.” If you see people fitting this description, avoid them. They are likely looking for someone particular rather than wanting to investigate the general population in the area. We do not expect them to be active in the downtown area where the conference is located.
  • The National Guard is making logistical movements that make it look like they are planning to send troops to Chicago in the near future. These are military troops wearing a proper uniform. From what we’ve seen in other cities where they have been deployed, their job is going to be to stand around and not bother anyone. They may well do this in the downtown area near the conference.
  • The Chicago Police Department is completely separate from both these groups and has an official policy of not cooperating with ICE or the National Guard. Chicago Police officers will have patches on their uniforms that say “Chicago Police” and tend to wear a blue shirt with dark pants. They want all our attendees to have a great time in their city and are people you can approach for help should you need it.
  • In the United States, you are allowed to record the police and military in public. If you or someone you’re with has an encounter with agents, take a video recording and please report the incident to the Code of Conduct team.

We do not expect any of these developments to directly impact you while you’re in Chicago for DjangoCon US, but we do want to be prepared. Please attend opening remarks each day during the conference as we will provide any updates to these situations at that time. We may also send emails to attendees if there are important developments to be aware of.