Dept. of Homeland Security in Crystal Lake this week; local police not involved in investigation

Local officials confirmed Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was in Crystal Lake the previous day, but what they were investigating and other details are unknown.

The Department of Homeland Security was “conducting an investigation at a residence in Crystal Lake” on Tuesday, Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Richard Neumann said in an email to the Northwest Herald.

“I was not informed about the specific details regarding the activity,” Neumann said. “Additionally, Crystal Lake Police Department personnel were not involved in the investigation.”

The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that enforces immigration laws, is part of the Department of Homeland Security along with other agencies responsible for public security in areas such as cybersecurity, border control, terrorism prevention and human trafficking, according to the department’s website.

ICE has partnered with other federal agents including the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; and the U.S. Marshals Service to conduct “enhanced targeted operations” in Chicago, according to an ICE news release sent Sunday.

The goal is to “enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities,” according to the release. An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

An unconfirmed social media post Tuesday showed what was said to be federal agents outside the Crystal Lake Darlington Court apartments Tuesday. It is unclear who the officials were and what they were doing. Contrary to the social media post, Neumann said that, to his knowledge, the Department of Homeland Security was not at the Darlington apartments.

A representative who answered the Darlington Court’s main office number declined to comment.

McHenry-based Mazatecutli Foundation has heard of “increased ICE activity” in Crystal Lake and McHenry, as well as in other northwest suburban towns including Round Lake, Elgin and Palatine, programs associate Ivan Diaz said. The nonprofit provides programs and services for immigrants and descendants of immigrants.

In light of recent ICE sightings, the Mazatecutli Foundation created a “know your rights” flyer that guides people on what to do if they are stopped by ICE officers. More information can be found on the organization’s website at Mazatecutlifoundation.org.

About 10% of McHenry County’s estimated 310,000 residents were not born in the U.S. Of those, about 59% are naturalized citizens, while 41% are not, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Not being naturalized does not necessarily mean a person does not have legal status to be in the U.S., as they could be going through the process of becoming a legal citizen.

McHenry County Sheriff Robb Tadelman previously said that state law limits his office’s ability to work with ICE on the mass deportations that President Donald Trump has promised.

The Illinois Trust Act prohibits local and state law enforcement from searching, arresting or detaining a person simply because of their immigration status. Another Illinois law, the Illinois Way Forward Act, went into effect 2022 and prohibits ICE immigrant detention.

McHenry County Sheriff’s Office communication specialist Emily Matusek-Baker said the sheriff’s office has not been contacted by ICE.