The Will County Executive’s Office issued an order Friday that aims to “clarify” how residents can continue accessing county services “without fear of harassment or violation of legal rights” during ongoing federal immigration enforcement operations.
The executive order from Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant applies to all county-owned property, except for the Will County Courthouse, which is under the purview of Will County Chief Judge Dan Kennedy, said Mike Theodore, communications director for Bertino-Tarrant’s office.
In a statement, Bertino-Tarrant said she is “deeply concerned” about reports of “federal immigration activity occurring locally and tactics causing fear throughout the community.”
“The steps we are taking today are aimed at ensuring our residents’ voices are heard by providing resources and actions that fall under the county jurisdiction. All people should be safe in their neighborhoods and supported in their community,” Bertino-Tarrant said.
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The executive order cites reports of residents being detained without charges during immigration enforcement, which has led to an “increased number” of Will County residents concerned about leaving their homes “due to fear of harassment.”
“The [executive order] aims to provide clarity on how residents can continue to access Will County services without fear of harassment or violation of legal rights,” according to a statement from Bertino-Tarrant’s office.
The executive order sets the following restrictions:
• No county-owned and controlled building, parking lot, vacant lot or garage shall be used as a “staging area, processing location or operations base for federal immigration enforcement.”
• Federal agents shall present a warrant before conducting immigration enforcement on county-owned property.
• Federal agents shall remove face coverings and ensure “continuous visibility” of a badge issued by their respective agency during immigration enforcement operations.
County personnel shall immediately report to their supervisor, who in turn will communicate to Bertino-Tarrant’s office, the “attempted or actual use” of county-owned property for staging of immigration enforcement, according to the executive order.
“Nothing in this order shall be construed as restricting or interfering with the execution of lawful judicial warrants or the enforcement of criminal law, nor as limiting the rights of any person or entity under state or federal law,” according to the order.
Bertino-Tarrant announced a partnership with the Illinois Commission for Immigrant and Refugee Rights as the “official referral entity” of the county for residents who are “concerned about their legal rights regarding federal immigration enforcement.”
County personnel will direct residents who express concerns about infringements on their rights to the ICIRR Family Support Network Hotline at 855-435-7693.
On Oct. 7, the Will County Board Legislative Committee, on a 4-3 vote, passed a resolution calling for limits to be placed on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, with Democrats voting for it and Republicans voting against.
Largely symbolic, the resolution, among other things, calls for the state and federal government to bar ICE agents from enforcement activity “in courthouses, schools and sensitive community locations.”