An Elgin woman pepper-sprayed by ICE agents during a Dec. 6 incident isn’t optimistic she’ll get the answers she’s seeking, but she will be attending the city of Elgin’s town hall meeting Wednesday on immigration enforcement issues.
Set for 6 to 8 p.m. at the Edward Schock Centre of Elgin, the forum is “intended to create space for community members to share their concerns and ask questions,” according to Elgin Assistant City Manager Karina Nava.
“The objective of the meeting is to listen and provide residents with accurate information,” Nava said in an email.
City council members and staff will be present as will Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and representatives from the offices of U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Schaumburg, and Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago, both of whom represent the Elgin area. Spanish interpretation will be available, Nava said.
Mari Elena, who declined to disclose her last name due to her anti-ICE advocacy work in Elgin, said she was among the first to show up Dec. 6 when immigration officers tried to detain a man on Maple Avenue. A car crash involving the man’s vehicle and one driven by an ICE agent led to stand-off situation at an apartment.
“I was on the sidewalk, and they (ICE agents) pushed me out of the way even though I was more than 10 feet (from the scene),” Mari Elena said. “I was telling people to call the police to show up so we could have them document and record what was happening for our safety.”
Elgin police said they received more than 50 calls about the incident that day.
Officers arrived, she said, but “when I asked them to stay, they said they can’t get involved. I said, ‘I’m not asking you to get involved. I’m asking you to document. … I think having the (police) presence there would have helped. I don’t think they (ICE) would have reacted as aggressively.”
Elgin police did return a short time later to help firefighters assist people who had been pepper-sprayed, Mari Elena said.
She was frustrated that police refused to document and video record what was happening that day, and it’s among the things she hopes is discussed at the Wednesday meeting.
She was not alone in her criticism. The incident spurred immigration advocates to call out the police at the Dec. 17 Elgin City Council meeting and prompted the city to hold the forum.
Mari Elena said she is not optimistic it will accomplish anything, especially given the dozens of families who have had members deported or have been traumatized by ICE actions.
“I think this is the city council just trying to appease the community because we made our thoughts known,” she said. “I don’t think anything will come of it. They will just make promises.”
The council has passed resolutions declaring city-owned property as ICE-free zones, prohibiting federal agents from conducting or staging detentions in places like parks or on city hall property, and urging state and federal legislators to prohibit ICE agents from using masks. Members are considering the creation of a “Welcoming City” ordinance.
Police invervention in ICE cases is limited by the Illinois Trust Act, which says local law enforcement cannot work with federal immigration agents or intervene in detention efforts unless the agents have a judicial warrant.
But questions have arisen about police observing ICE agents violating state laws and if they can or should intervene, a subject being reviewed by the state’s attorney’s office as potential charges are considered.
Mari Elena believes that’s exactly what police should be doing.
“This is what (they) are supposed to do, serve and protect us, and (they) are not doing your job,” she said. “The community is the one that’s having to come out and do something.”
While volunteers have been patroling, things have been quiet over the holidays, Mari Elena said. But there has been a recent increase in drone reports, which typically come in advance of ICE actions, she said, so “we are bracing for something to come.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
