Preckwinkle bans ICE operations on Cook County property

Federal immigration officials are banned from using county-owned property, resources and personnel for civil immigration enforcement activities, under an order signed Thursday by county board President Toni Preckwinkle.

The order will prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using county sites for any enforcement actions, including staging for and debriefing from operations, according to a statement from Preckwinkle’s office.

“It is critical that the government’s interactions with the public adhere to our nation’s laws and values,” Preckwinkle said in the statement. “Yet, ICE’s increasingly aggressive, inhumane and unlawful actions continue undermining the safety and stability of our communities.”

Allowing federal civil immigration operations on county property would erode public trust, discourage cooperation with public safety agencies and jeopardize the sense of security that all residents deserve, the statement reads.

The order comes two days after Chief Cook County Judge Timothy C. Evans issued an order prohibiting civil immigration arrests at county courthouses and surrounding property.

And on Oct. 6, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an order creating so-called “ICE-free zones” that prohibits federal immigration authorities to operate in city public spaces, including schools, parks and libraries.

Department of Homeland Security representatives could not be immediately reached for comment, but the White House’s Rapid Response 47 X account blasted Johnson’s order last week.

“This is SICK. He is aiding and abetting criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, traffickers, and gang bangers,” the account stated.