Berwyn residents urge suspension of checkpoints and protests police deployment to Broadview ICE facility

Several residents used the council’s open‑forum period to press the City of Berwyn for immediate actions after a spate of recent immigration enforcement activity in the region, calling for an end to traffic and seatbelt checkpoints and criticizing the police department’s deployment to a Broadview ICE facility protest.

Tim Swanson, a Third Ward resident, called on the city to “use its emergency alert system to frequently inform residents about the latest known ICE agent locations and information,” and to at least suspend checkpoints. He said Berwyn should “share basic know‑your‑rights information with all residents” and urged elected officials to post guidance and provide offline, real‑world resources.

Multiple speakers described fear among immigrant families and said the city’s sending of police officers to Broadview last week — a request they said came from Broadview or another jurisdiction — was unnecessary and undermined community trust. Kayla, a neighborhood organizer and member of local rapid‑response networks, said volunteers covered school sites and rapid response work with little official help and said Berwyn police attendance at the Broadview site was “not needed.” Domingo Ramirez told council members he opposed using local police “for any ICE activity.” Several speakers referenced neighboring Waukegan Police Department’s public suspension of checkpoints as a model and asked Berwyn to do the same.

City response: Clerk Leticia Garcia and Mayor Robert Lovero addressed the speakers near the end of the meeting. Clerk Garcia said the city had already held Know‑Your‑Rights workshops and said she was “in conversations to holding another know your rights workshop” involving rapid‑response members and community organizations; she also proposed using reverse 9‑1‑1 and printed flyers to reach households. In remarks closing the meeting, Mayor Lovero said he did not object to suspending checkpoints and urged vigilance from residents and city staff while reiterating that city staff were not cooperating with ICE.

Why it matters: residents described immediate fear, interrupted daily life and requests for practical, visible protections from the municipal government — suspension of checkpoints, broader Know‑Your‑Rights outreach, suspension of police deployment to outside ICE facilities, and clearer internal policies on when Berkeley officers support other jurisdictions.

Next steps and outcomes: Clerk Garcia said another Know‑Your‑Rights workshop would be scheduled and discussed using reverse 9‑1‑1 and printed materials to reach households; Mayor Lovero stated he would stop seatbelt/safety checkpoints for the near term. No formal ordinance or council vote was taken; the actions described were administrative directions and outreach commitments.

Ending: Community members asked for continuing, tangible follow‑up from the mayor and council; several residents asked elected officials to join rapid‑response efforts and to use the city’s communications channels to publicize legal resources and safety guidance.