Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant on Friday issued an executive order prohibiting the use of county-owned property for serving as a staging area or operations base for federal immigration enforcement.
The executive order was designed to clarify how county government will respond to increased federal immigration actions.
“I am deeply concerned about reports I am receiving about federal immigration activity occurring locally and tactics causing fear throughout the community,” Bertino-Tarrant said in a statement. “… All people should be safe in their neighborhoods and supported in their community.”
Under the executive order, county-owned properties under the control of the executive’s office will be prohibited from serving as staging areas for federal immigration operations such as assembling, mobilizing or deploying vehicles. This includes buildings, parking lots, vacant lots or garages under the executive’s office, the order said.
Some of the county buildings under this order include the county office building in Joliet, the health department, animal protection services, the Sunny Hill Nursing Home and the Children’s Advocacy Center, among others, said Mike Theodore, spokesman for the executive’s office.
The executive order does not apply to the Will County Courthouse, which is under the jurisdiction of Chief Judge Daniel Kennedy, he said. The order also does not apply to buildings the county leases.
According to the executive order, federal agents must present a warrant before conducting immigration enforcement operations on county-owned property under the control of the executive’s office. Agents also need to remove face coverings and ensure continuous visibility of a badge, the order said.
The executive order states residents throughout Will County have expressed concerns about the scale and methods of federal immigration enforcement, including due process violations. There have been reports that citizens and legal residents were detained without charges during immigration enforcement, which has lead to an increased fear of harassment, according to the executive order.
Bertino-Tarrant also announced a partnership with the Illinois Commission for Immigrant & Refugee Rights for residents who are concerned about their legal rights regarding federal immigration enforcement. County personnel is directing residents to the commission’s hotline at 855-435-7693.
The executive order Friday comes just over a week after the County Board’s Legislative Committee proposed a resolution that would ask the state and federal government to prohibit immigration enforcement in courthouses, schools and other sensitive community spaces. While the resolution passed the Legislative Committee along party lines, members of the Executive Committee did not advance it to the full County Board and said it needed more work.
Republicans on both committees questioned the accuracy of the language in the resolution and said immigration activities were not under the county’s purview.
Legislative Committee Chair Destinee Ortiz, a Romeoville Democrat, said the resolution was to ensure residents live and work without fear.
At Thursday’s County Board meeting, Ortiz said on behalf of the Latino community, statements of concern have been appreciated, but action is needed.
“The black and brown residents of this county are watching,” she said. “They are asking for us to do more and be more than just commentators. They are asking for us to lead, to take real action to protect them from the abuses of this administration. … As leaders of this county, I hope we can actually do something.”
Ortiz took to social media Friday to celebrate Bertino-Tarrant’s executive order.
“This means our county facilities — where our families pay taxes, seek services, and go to work — are now safe spaces,” she wrote. “This happened because we raised our voices. Because we organized. Because we refused to stay silent while our neighbors were under attack.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
