HANOVER PARK, Ill. — After more than an hour of public testimony and lengthy trustee debate, the Hanover Park Village Board voted to hold a special meeting to draft and compare an ordinance and a resolution that would limit immigration-enforcement activity on village-owned property.

The board amended and approved a motion to hold the special meeting Friday, Nov. 14, at 4:00 p.m. The action followed repeated public pleas for stronger, enforceable protections after residents and business owners described fear, missed work and family trauma they linked to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in and near the village.

Multiple residents urged an ordinance rather than a nonbinding resolution. “This is not about opinions. This has to be about action,” said Ryan Runyon, who said safety equals action and urged the board to enact law rather than a symbolic statement. Gabriela Banonos, who identified herself as a longtime resident and business owner, told the board she feared for her children and described family members taken without warrants; she called for “fairness” and a clearer pathway to citizenship for immigrant families.

Trustees debated legal advice they had sought. Mayor Rodney Craig and staff reported consulting DuPage County officials and the DuPage County state’s attorney, who cautioned that certain signage or claims of “safe zones” on village property could be legally misleading and unenforceable. Trustee critics said the board previously voted to review both an ordinance and a resolution and objected that only a resolution had appeared in the board packet.

Trustees supporting a workshop argued the board needed both the ordinance and resolution drafted for side‑by‑side review and for legal counsel to advise on enforceability, public safety implications and the risk of creating false expectations for residents. Trustee comments and public testimony also asked police to document any ICE or law-enforcement contacts on village property — including agent names and badge numbers — to create an auditable record if residents later report missing persons.

Several trustees pressed that the village should avoid putting residents or village officers at risk by passing an ordinance that the village cannot enforce or that would require village officers to interfere with federal agents. “If we put an ordinance that we can’t enforce, it undermines our own ability to function,” one trustee said, citing concerns about federal supremacy and potential confrontation. Other trustees, though, said the current situation was exceptional and that an ordinance could still be drafted to avoid creating unlawful expectations while providing stronger deterrents or penalties for misuse of village property for enforcement staging.

The board collected examples and language from other municipalities (including Evanston and Carpentersville) and directed staff to prepare drafts with stronger, clearer language — including options such as identifying specific village parcels, use of physical barriers, free downloadable signage for private property owners, and restrictions on staging or equipment storage on village property. Trustees also asked staff to include recommended procedures for documenting any on‑site ICE activity and to consult with legal counsel and county partners in advance of the Nov. 14 meeting.

What the board did — and did not — decide
- The board set a special meeting/workshop for Friday, Nov. 14, at 4:00 p.m., to review draft ordinance and resolution language and to consider enforcement and documentation procedures for any ICE activity on village property.
- The board did not adopt an ordinance or resolution at the Nov. 6 meeting. Several trustees and the mayor said they had sought legal guidance before bringing an ordinance forward.

Why it mattered: residents said the uncertainty affects daily life and local business
Public speakers testified that ICE activity had reduced workers showing up for shifts and that families are living in fear. Local business owners and residents said missing work and reduced shopping were harming local commerce; speakers described children who are frightened to go to school because of agents in neighborhoods.

What’s next
Staff will prepare draft ordinance and resolution language and supporting materials for the Nov. 14 workshop. Trustees directed staff to explore language that does not suggest village property is a legal sanctuary but that does restrict staging, processing, or mobilizing activities on village property, identifies enforcement options, and asks police to document any ICE encounters on village property (agent name, agency and badge/batch numbers when available).

Speakers and sources quoted in this article are drawn directly from the Nov. 6 public meeting transcript and recorded public comment.