Should Des Plaines police assist with federal immigration enforcement? Council candidates disagree
Candidates running for seats on Des Plaines’ city council are divided about whether local police should assist federal immigration enforcement efforts.
The issue is pertinent in Des Plaines, where more than 23% of residents are Hispanic and more than 46% of residents age 5 or older live in homes where languages other than English are spoken, according to the latest U.S. census data.
Two candidates are running for each of four city council seats that are up in the April 1 election: current City Clerk Jessica Mastalski and newcomer Margaret Chlebek in the 1st Ward; incumbent Sean Oskerka and challenger Debra Lester in the 3rd Ward; newcomers Thomas A. Merlin and Michael Hardiman in the 5th Ward; and incumbent Patsy Smith and challenger Bob Porada in the 7th Ward.
All the candidates except Chlebek participated in group online interviews with the Daily Herald that are available at dailyherald.com. Chlebek was invited but declined to attend.
Rounding up and deporting immigrants living here illegally was a tent pole of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies began launching raids soon after he took office in January.
A state law called the Trust Act prevents local, county or state law enforcement agencies from participating in or supporting federal immigration enforcement operations without judicial warrants. The Trust Act also prohibits local police from sharing information about people’s immigration status with federal authorities, and it forbids local police from stopping, searching or arresting people based solely on their citizenship or immigration status.
The Justice Department has told state and local police they must comply with federal immigration enforcement initiatives or face consequences, and it sued Illinois in February over the Trust Act.
The 1st Ward’s Mastalski said Des Plaines police should assist federal agents if it helps alleviate illegal activity in the community. “The local police department deals with local crime,” she said.
The Des Plaines Police Department’s current policy regarding cooperating with federal authorities should continue, Mastalski said.
The 3rd Ward’s Lester said assisting federal immigration officers shouldn’t be a priority for Des Plaines police. “Our police department has enough to do taking care of residents,” she said.
Oskerka, who’s seeking a second term, said Des Plaines police absolutely shouldn’t assist ICE with deportation raids. He spoke favorably of the Trust Act, saying it was enacted to help build trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities. Des Plaines is a diverse and welcoming community, Oskerka said, and participating in raids would go against what the city stands for.
The 5th Ward’s Hardiman said federal authorities should notify Des Plaines police if they’re conducting immigration raids in town. Police should assist federal agents if the sought-after immigrants are criminals, he said.
“If he was a good person it would be a different story,” Hardiman said.
Merlin said he doesn’t support “grabbing people out of churches” or rounding up immigrants who are just “living their lives.” He said Des Plaines police should notify federal authorities if they arrest a criminal suspect who is in the U.S. illegally.
Merlin also said federal authorities should notify police of planned raids.
The 7th Ward’s Porada said city police must follow the Trust Act and not assist with raids or provide lists of immigrants or other information to federal agents. However, Des Plaines police should alert federal authorities of arrestees who are in the U.S. illegally, said Porada, who also ran for the council in 2015 and 2017.
Smith, who’s seeking a second term, noted the Trust Act limits local law enforcement’s participation in immigration enforcement. She said the city doesn’t have the funds “to couple up with ICE” and she hopes it’s not an issue city police have to experience firsthand.