Oak Park board directs staff to draft policies, communications to limit use of village property for immigration enforcement

The Village Board on Oct. 21 directed staff to pursue a two-part response to recent federal immigration-enforcement activity affecting Oak Park: (1) draft ordinance language (and related policies) to limit or prohibit the use of village property for civil immigration enforcement operations; and (2) build a coordinated village-wide communications plan so residents, businesses and other taxing bodies know how to respond if federal agents are present.

Trustees Derek Eder and Jenna Levin Jacobson introduced a memorandum asking staff to prepare language modeled on Chicago’s Oct. 6 executive order and Evanston’s Oct. 13 resolution. The requested ordinance would: prohibit use of village-owned property for immigration enforcement staging, processing, or operations; authorize placement of physical barriers (for example locked gates) to limit access to village properties; and encourage coordination with other local taxing bodies (township, library, school districts, park district) to adopt similar policies.

Trustees also asked staff to develop a village-wide communications playbook that would make clear,…