Aurora delays final vote on ordinance barring use of city property for immigration enforcement after debate on employee reporting

The Committee of the Whole on Nov. 4 took up ordinance 25-0898, which would prohibit use of city-owned property — such as parking lots, buildings and parks — as staging, processing or operational sites for civil immigration enforcement, except where execution of a judicial warrant or other lawful authority applies. The ordinance expands on Trust Act principles already adopted in Illinois and would require the city to document attempted or actual uses of city property for civil immigration enforcement.

Chief of Staff Shannon Cameron summarized the ordinance and the proposed reporting framework, saying it is designed "to formally prohibit the use of city owned assets" for civil immigration enforcement and to document violations for referral to the Illinois Accountability Commission. Cameron cited local incidents and national data suggesting that many detained by ICE have no criminal records.

A central point of debate was a documentation section that would require city employees to report activity they observe on city property. Alderman Smith moved to change the first reporting clause from "shall" to "should," arguing that mandatory reporting could endanger staff or families and that staff should not be compelled to report in ways that create risk. The amendment failed on a roll call vote (3 yes, 9 no). The mayor and several alderpersons said they wanted clear reporting so the city can document potential misuse of property.

Separately, Alderman Larson proposed — and later amended to recommend that Aurora Police Department adopt a formal standard operating procedure — that would require the primary on-duty sworn officer who observes civil immigration enforcement on city property and can safely respond to complete a written report within 24 hours with available details (date/time, identifying credentials of federal agents if provided, descriptions of persons detained, a narrative and whether a warrant was shown). Deputy Chief Stemmott cautioned that federal agents may not share credentials and that requiring officers to obtain that information may lengthen incidents and put officers in difficult positions. Stemmott said body-worn camera and standard police-reporting tools could capture evidence but emphasized resource and safety concerns.

After extended discussion and multiple proposed edits, the council voted to move ordinance 25-0898 to unfinished business so corporate counsel and APD can refine the reporting language, implementation steps and related standard operating procedures before a final vote. During the meeting the council also noted a parallel effort to provide a low-dollar lease to a nonprofit that would assist with immigration-related documentation and community response.

Next steps: corporate counsel, the mayor’s office and APD will draft clarified ordinance language and SOPs and return the item from unfinished business for further consideration; the city will also continue outreach to regional partners and to the Illinois Accountability Commission as appropriate.