Reports that mass deportation arrests promised by President Donald Trump during his campaign have begun left some normally busy Chicago-area neighborhood streets empty this week.
While news of local deportation raids has yet to surface, the threat remains serious for many people across the region, including in Lake County, where local community organizations have been hosting “Know Your Rights” events for weeks as fears have grown in the migrant community.
Local officials have spoken in support of migrant communities, including State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart and Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor, saying state and local government employees will not assist in any deportation efforts.
But that doesn’t mean federal agencies can’t come into Lake County.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said federal agencies have no obligation to notify state, county or local law enforcement about their federal enforcement activities.
But if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were to call for assistance, Covelli said deputies would respond as they would for any call for help from another law enforcement agency or member of the community.
“From there, our deputies would make any enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis, depending on the facts,” he said.
That said, Covelli stressed that deputies have to follow Illinois law, and don’t have the authority to enforce federal law. The Sheriff’s Office, along with all police officers in Illinois, has to adhere to the Illinois TRUST Act.
The TRUST Act, signed into law in 2017, prohibits local law enforcement agencies from enforcing federal civil immigration laws, and provides various protections to immigrants and the migrant community.
“Our overall mission is to keep the people of Lake County safe, which we have been doing since 1839,” Covelli said. “We remain steadfast in that commitment.”
Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain had a similar explanation, saying the department will, “respond to emergencies as we do now,” and pointing to state statutes regarding any deportation efforts.
While a number of local and state officials, including Gov. JB Pritzker, have voiced their support of the state’s migrant community, some local community leaders have warned that the future is still uncertain and the safety of migrants is not guaranteed.
In November, Dulce Ortiz, executive director of Mano a Mano Family Resource Center, expressed fears of officials caving to federal pressure. She wondered if money were on the line, would their promises hold?
“How are our elected leaders going to react?” she asked. “Will they go back on their word … because they’re no longer able to get federal funding?”
