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West Chicago resident urges DuPage County to require ICE transparency, body cameras during local operations
Summary
A West Chicago resident asked the DuPage County Judicial and Public Safety Committee to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents operating in the county to wear body cameras, notify local law enforcement of planned operations and otherwise be held to standards similar to local agencies.
During the public comment period at the Oct. 21 DuPage County Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting, a speaker identified as Gutierrez of West Chicago urged the county to take action to increase transparency and accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity within county borders.
Gutierrez said local enforcement limitations in the Illinois Trust Act do not mean ICE should operate “with no oversight” and alleged examples of problematic enforcement tactics. "ICE is not supposed to be detaining people without a warrant, yet we continue to hear and see examples where ICE is detaining American citizens and legal immigrants alike," Gutierrez said. He described incidents he said included "pulling people out of cars in front of schools, pepper spraying unarmed people," and argued that county action could reduce wrongful detentions.
Gutierrez recommended the county require ICE agents operating within DuPage County to wear body cameras, to notify local law enforcement about which agents will operate where and who they plan to detain, and to coordinate with the state if the county lacks authority. "We can require body cams to be worn while operating within the county to ensure transparency," he said, and added that without cooperation from federal authorities, the county should work with the state government to pursue accountability.
Committee members did not take immediate action on the comment during the meeting. The public comment was recorded but no formal motion or directive to staff resulted from the remarks in the meeting transcript.
