‘How are you protecting us?’: Palatine residents share concerns about ICE with council

Palatine residents complained about federal immigration enforcement activities in the community during public comment at this week's village council meeting.

Two residents spoke to the experience of residents of color, urging police officials to serve and protect them.

“We are afraid to go to the store,” Palatine homeowner Melissa Ortega said. “We are afraid to take walks in our neighborhood because of the color of our skin. How are you protecting us in the community we love so much? We want to be safe. I want to continue to be a homeowner in Palatine.”

“I'm pretty sure none of you guys have your passports with you or your birth certificate,” resident Laura Hernandez said, addressing the council, which did not respond to public comment.

Resident Judy Janes told the village council Monday enforcement is having a chilling effect on local businesses, especially restaurants.

“We have had a restaurant that had zero customers on a recent Sunday because ICE was sitting in (its) parking lot,” she said.

Several called for solutions, including resident Tom Soule, an attorney, supported banning federal agents from village-owned property and sharing information with immigration officials as well.

Resident Andrew Namowicz suggested an independent investigation of the Oct. 27 actions of a Palatine police officer who responded to a 911 call for a disturbance, only to find three ICE agents trying to detain a man while a crowd heckled them. Police said the officer intervened to protect the public and save the detainee from serious injury.

“I really don't like that term 'split-second decision,'” he said. “Too many times it's used to explain away a mistake, and I think that's what this was. To restore the community’s trust in our police department, we need more than just our police chief saying we didn't do anything wrong.”

Police Chief William Nord explained one of the agents was kneeling with her full weight on the man's back with her left hand on his neck. He said the officer noticed the agent was holding the handcuffs incorrectly, which made her unable to secure one of the cuffs on his left wrist.

Nord said the Illinois TRUST Act allows officers to take action to maintain peace and public safety. But he also said the officer's actions were guided by the SAFE-T Act.

“The SAFE-T Act declares that a police officer cannot stand by and allow excessive force or dangerous tactics to be used during an arrest,” he said.

Resident Roman Golash spoke up on behalf of police, stating they are well trained. He added, “It's always about the illegal aliens that are here, but we never talk about the victims of criminal illegal aliens.”

Village officials have not said anything about plans to implement any type of anti-ICE policies.