More than a dozen locals took to the lectern Tuesday night to urge Wilmette trustees to preemptively respond to the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in surrounding suburbs. 

Prior to the Village Board’s Tuesday, Oct. 28 meeting, there had been no confirmed ICE operations in Wilmette; however, as reported first by The Record, ICE agents were active in the town Wednesday afternoon. 

With reports circulating of ICE activity, Wilmette officials on Wednesday released information via community email responding to the activity and about its current and future plans related to federal immigration enforcement.

Tuesday’s speakers pleaded with village officials to act quickly to ensure the safety of all residents as well as those who visit and work in Wilmette if federal agents were to conduct operations within town limits. 

Wilmette resident John Marshall started the public comment portion of the night, which opened the nearly four-hour meeting, saying that he and “many residents are extremely worried about the growing danger that ICE and other rogue, poorly trained federal agents posed to Wilmette.” 

Marshall told the board that a group of residents have already been disseminating know-your-rights information cards and passing out “warning whistles” so residents can issue alerts if federal agents are spotted in the area. But, he said, it’s time for “our elected leaders to act.” 

Subsequent speakers outlined specific measures they would like the village to consider. 

Those recommendations included passing a welcoming village ordinance, issuing a resolution supporting state and federal legislation prohibiting ICE agents from conducting operations while concealing their identities, and barring ICE from conducting operations on village-owned property.

Residents also recommended making know-your-rights information more accessible.

A key theme behind many resident comments was the need to be prepared if and when federal immigration operations begin in Wilmette. 

“We need preparedness, not after-the-fact reporting, and this is not just for immigrants or people with status in progress, this is for everyone, because a militarized federal presence affects every single resident in Wilmette,” resident Anne Stevens said.

Resident Elizabeth Clarke told the board she has “deep concern about recent ICE activity” nearby and “the profound fear that it has caused among many people here in our village in Wilmette.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a citizen here and a homeowner with a C-suite job downtown or someone who takes the bus from Rogers Park to provide childcare for a Wilmette family, the level of terror and uncertainty that many Brown people are feeling right now is simply unconscionable,” Clarke said. 

“When people are afraid to go to work, travel across town or go out to shop locally, it doesn’t just harm those individuals, it harms all of us,” she later added. “It weakens our entire local economy and it frays the social fabric that makes Wilmette such a welcoming and vibrant and special place to live and work.” 

Erinn Martin said that neighboring towns are looking to Wilmette for guidance. 

“As Wilmette is the true entry to the North Shore, the villages around us are looking for us to lead the way,” Martin said, adding that the board should look at the rapid action neighboring Evanston took to address the presence of federal agents. 

After the conclusion of public comment, Village President Senta Plunkett thanked residents for sharing their concerns and suggestions as well as for their “personal commitment to make sure that Wilmette is a welcoming community.” 

Plunkett noted that the village recently shared information about the Illinois Trust Act, legislation that prevents local law enforcement, such as the Wilmette Police Department, from assisting or cooperating with ICE on immigration enforcement activities. 

Plunkett will attend a roundtable meeting on Monday, Nov. 3, with other municipal and state leaders “to better understand what is going on in other communities, to better understand municipalities rights and what the options are,” she said, later adding that the village will continue to gather information and ensure that officials are thoughtful with any potential actions they may take. 

“We will decide as a board and a community how best to proceed,” she concluded. 

Trustee Mark Steen brought the topic back up for discussion near the end of the meeting, saying that although the board could not vote on any actions at the meeting, he’d like to better understand a specific timeline for moving forward. 

The board quickly reached a consensus that it would like to move forward “as soon as practicable.” 

Trustee Stephen Leonard urged the village to “as quickly as we can do this the right way with the right consideration and the right legal advice.” 

“Our community seeks this and I think it will be very helpful and something we should make a high priority of,” he said. 

Conveying a similar sense of urgency, Trustee Michael Lieber said “time is of the essence,” adding that “this is happening right now” and it’s “important that we address it.” 

“I want us, if we are going to do something, to actually do something,” he said. “Not put out strongly worded statements, not put out letters, not do those things — but actually take actions.” 

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A dormant site along one of Wilmette’s main commercial thoroughfares may soon be getting new life.

The property at 615 Ridge Road is a prime candidate for an “adaptive reuse,” Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman said during an October Village Board meeting.

The nearly half-acre site used to be home to an assisted living facility, which at first was called Sunrise Assisted Living then became Wickshire.

Braiman told trustees during the meeting that village officials had recent discussions with a developer who purchased the property. According to public property records, the site sold for $875,000 at auction in December of 2023.

Initially, property owners hoped to redevelop the site into apartments and condominiums, Braiman said, but the site currently only has six parking spaces.

Developers, per Braiman, asked if the village would add designated parking spaces for potential tenants on Ridge Road. Officials responded by noting that is typically not a request the village would accommodate.

An alternative plan now under consideration is an affordable housing building or a site that could feature housing for persons with disabilities, Braiman said, adding that type of use for the site could alleviate parking concerns given there likely would be less need for parking.

“That was something the developer was interested in, and they are going to pursue that with some of their partners,” Braiman said. “There are financing problems with that, but I told them that these are the types of uses we want to have discussions about and have an open mind, so we’ll report back to the Village Board and the community with something substantive moving forward.”

Wilmette’s recently approved comprehensive plan identified Ridge Road as a key area for redevelopment and earmarked several sites as opportunities to do so.

The Record recently reported plans for the former Norshore Meats site, where developers are looking to build a new three-story, six-unit condominium building. But, the area’s most notable vacancy, the Treasure Island site, remains problematic.

According to the comprehensive plan, the “substantial amount of vacant storefront and developable property” along with lower commercial rents in the area make Ridge Road a strong opportunity to explore new uses.

“All these factors combined with the rich history and historic character of the area make it suitable for growth and transformation,” the plan reads. “Much of the multi-family housing along Ridge Road is naturally occurring affordable housing and it is a goal of the Village to maintain that affordable housing.”

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Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

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Federal immigration enforcement came to Wilmette on Wednesday.

Reports, photos and videos from several community members show that federal agents were active in multiple locations on Oct. 29 afternoon in Wilmette.

Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman, speaking for the Village, said the resident accounts of federal law enforcement activity Wednesday are credible; though, local police did not witness any such activity.

Braiman added that police took calls on Wednesday describing multiple incidents involving federal agents in Wilmette. He could not immediately confirm, though, if agents apprehended any individuals.

Resident Chad Boomgaarden told The Record that he spoke with at least one border patrol agent around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday in an alley between Park and Prairie avenues near his home. Boomgaarden, who shared photos supporting the encounter, said he inquired about federal jurisdiction on and near private property, among other topics.

He was walking his dog and was not pleased to see men in “face masks, camo, tactical gear and long rifle weapons” just feet from his backyard.

“You know, I’m a pretty chill dad/husband/person,” he wrote to The Record via text message, “but I’ve always had a soft spot and protective instinct for people or animals being bullied … so I have to say I was really pissed off.”

Boomgaarden did not see the agents make any arrests; however, Patrick Hanley, a Winnetka resident and local politician, who followed the agents’ vehicles into the alley reportedly witnessed up to seven armed and masked agents in fatigues detain and drive away with two individuals.

Hanley shared a video taken Wednesday with The Record that shows two vehicles in an alley and at least six uniformed and masked members of law enforcement.

“With no disrespect to sharks, it was like seeing sharks in open water. You know these people are dangerous and don’t know what they are going to do,” said Hanley, the leader of the New Trier Democrats and candidate for Illinois senate.

Hanley and dozens of community members use a group chat to track the local presence and activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal officials.

Erinn Martin, of Winnetka, is also in that group chat and said when she saw messages saying ICE agents were in Wilmette, she parked her car near the Wilmette library.

When she saw a possible federal vehicle — as described in the group chat — pass by, she and a handful of other cars driven by community members in that same group chat followed it.

The car stopped at one point and agents got out, she said.

“They open the door and are standing there in tactical gear, like it’s Afghanistan, here in Wilmette,” said Martin, who grew up in Wilmette. “… They are bringing unnecessary trauma and chaos into our neighborhoods.”

Martin said she began blowing a whistle, a growing resistance measure to alert communities of federal agents in the area. She was not alone.

Boomgaarden said six people came to the alley within 30 seconds and were blowing whistles and documenting the agents via photo and video.

Martin and others continued following the alleged federal vehicles out of Wilmette, through Glenview and to the Home Depot in Niles.

Martin said the group chat has a segment they call a rapid response team, of which she is a part, and the team’s goal is to respond to the scene of an ICE sighting and warn community members while also letting the agents know they are unwanted.

“Because this is wrong,” she said. “You can have a conversation about whether immigrants need to be deported, but that’s not what this is about. If you’ve seen footage of them arresting U.S. citizens, breaking windows — there is no responsibility. Nothing is going to stop them except for us. So we have to stop them.”

She added, “There is fear in the air, and everybody should stand up. Nobody should feel that way.”

Wednesday’s incidents come on the heels of an emotional discussion during Wilmette’s Village Board meeting on Tuesday night, Oct. 28, when a large contingent of residents packed board chambers urging Village officials to respond to local ICE activity.

To address the topic, the Village Board directed staffers to prepare possible policy changes the board could approve to “help keep community members safe,” according to a community email sent by the Village on Wednesday.

The board also wants staff to prepare communication material to educate residents and better promote resources available to immigrants in the community.

Stay tuned to TheRecordNorthShore.org while this story develops.

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.