Morton Grove residents press board for written protections as village outlines signage, hotline and staff policy

Dozens of residents told the Village of Morton Grove Board of Trustees on Nov. 25 that federal immigration enforcement activity in and around the village has left neighbors afraid to leave their homes and seeking formal local protections.

At the meeting’s public-comment period, faith leaders, health professionals and longtime residents urged the board to move beyond statements of support and adopt written ordinances and procedures. "This is happening here," said one faith leader who identified himself as Rick (a deacon at St. James Episcopal Cathedral), adding that "doing nothing at all...is a form of acquiescing." Jenny Marin, a 10-year resident, asked the board to "amend the village code to add a resolution that specifically prohibits any federal immigration operations on village owned property unless there is a valid judicial warrant present." She also requested timelines and locations for planned signage and details on how staff will be required to follow the Illinois Trust Act.

Several speakers described concrete harms they attribute to enforcement activity. Pediatrician Meenal Giri testified that enforcement has disrupted children’s medical care, interrupted medication access and forced hospitals to scramble for guardians and social supports — calling the situation "a public health emergency." Resident Donna Schiller and others recounted instances of landscapers and workers being taken during neighborhood sweeps and described an atmosphere of fear that has led some families to stop sending children to school.

Other residents asked the village to require the police to verify the identity of federal agents at scenes, send supervisors to calls involving unmarked vehicles, document incidents using body cameras, and compile a database of federal activity on or near village property.

Village officials told residents they have taken several concrete steps. Village Administrator Chuck Meyer said the village is procuring signs that will demarcate village-owned property and that the signs "have been ordered or are being ordered shortly and will be installed next month" at Village Hall, the police department campus and public works facilities. Meyer also said the village created a webpage and a two-page resource flyer to distribute at houses of worship and other community organizations, and that by village policy "all staff are covered by the Illinois Trust Act."

Meyer named the confidential social-worker resource assigned by the mayor as Liz Shield and provided a hotline number, (847) 663-3072, for residents who cannot leave their homes and need assistance. "If you're watching from home, if you feel like you can't leave ... this is a confidential resource," he said.

Morton Grove Police Chief Mike Weitzel told the board the department has for years operated under a policy that it "does not enforce civil immigration law and that people must feel safe reporting crime regardless of immigration status." He reviewed updates tied to state law, saying the department incorporated changes required by the Illinois Trust Act and later state reporting requirements into training and policy.

Residents pressed for accountability and timelines. A community representative asked, "Since no village resolution, ordinance, or executive order appears to be forthcoming, what will be the mechanism to hold the village accountable for its promises not yet implemented?" The village said it will report back to future board meetings and that staff had charted actions they are taking now, but multiple speakers reiterated a request that measures be codified in local ordinance to ensure permanence.

The board did not take a formal vote tonight to adopt a local ordinance banning federal immigration activity on village property; trustees approved other routine items on the agenda. Officials said signage installation, staff policy implementation and the social-worker hotline are in place or imminent and that they will continue to update the public.

What happens next: village staff said signage installation is expected before the end of the year, staff policies have been updated to cover employees under the Illinois Trust Act, and trustees will provide updates at future meetings. Several residents asked for a written timeline and periodic reports to the board documenting signage placement, incident reporting and use of the hotline.