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Residents urge review after immigration detentions; mayor reaffirms compliance with Illinois Trust Act
Summary
Multiple residents described recent detentions by federal immigration agents and urged West Chicago to conduct an internal review, reaffirm Trust Act commitments, and create reporting pathways; Mayor Bovey said the city does not participate in civil immigration enforcement absent a judicial warrant and will consider residents' requests.
Several West Chicago residents and immigrant‑rights advocates described a recent incident in which two residents — one a U.S. citizen and one a legal resident — were detained by federal immigration agents and later released, and urged the city to investigate and provide protections and reporting options.
At the public comment period, speakers including Angel of CASA DuPage and Ruby Casarez detailed accounts they said showed racial profiling and traumatic treatment of community members. "We saw federal agents claim to be here to remove criminals, but they themselves acted like criminals," Casarez told the council, and she asked the city to conduct an internal review and to "reaffirm West Chicago's compliance with the Illinois Trust Act." (Ruby Casarez)
Mayor Bovey responded that the city is "100% committed to following the Trust Act," adding that West Chicago police do not participate in civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. He said his office has reviewed bodycam and other video in prior inquiries and would continue to look into the recent episode and to help recover a resident's identification that had been taken.
Community members also asked the council to create trauma‑informed responses and safe zones where residents could seek help without fear of detention, and to fund community‑led legal and mental‑health supports. Several speakers said lack of a formal police report and uncertainty about whether federal agents used city property raised transparency concerns.
The mayor and senior staff pledged to consider the specific requests — an internal review of whether city property or personnel were involved, formal reaffirmation of Trust Act commitments, and a transparent reporting process for immigration‑related incidents — without promising particular enforcement actions against federal authorities, which the mayor said the city has no jurisdiction to arrest.
The council asked staff to follow up and to provide more clarity to the community on next steps.
