‘A High Priority’: Wilmette trustees say they hear residents’ calls for action in response to ICE

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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