Mount Prospect residents call for village response to ICE, submit petition

Mount Prospect residents packed village hall Tuesday demanding Mayor Paul Hoefert and the village board take action in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in their community.

But Hoefert issued a statement saying the U.S. Constitution prevents municipalities from regulating federal immigration officers.

“If one of our Mount Prospect police officers were to actively obstruct or impede a federal agent during the course of their duty, that officer would be in violation of federal law and subject to arrest and federal criminal prosecution for a criminal offense,” he said.

Hoefert said concerned citizens should call 911 if they felt threatened during immigration enforcement activities.

His speech and village attorney Lance Malina’s explanation of the village’s position did not sit well with many in the audience who called for the village to stand up to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and asked the village to follow the lead of such communities as Carpentersville and Wheeling in banning ICE from village property.

Hoefert met with catcalls when he recommended residents who have concerns carry citizenship documents at all times.

One speaker, attorney Samuel Dixon, delivered a petition to the board with 500 signatures urging the village to create civil immigration enforcement exclusionary zones, ban face masks for federal agents, prohibit agents from operating vehicles without license plates, require signed judicial warrants for enforcement and establish a relief fund for affected families.

“If ICE were to come into this room right now and clear us all out and say we’re going to stage a raid here, you're saying you're going to do nothing? That is insanity,” said Dixon, who warned of a possible recall effort.

Residents shared personal accounts of recent ICE encounters.

Jenny Quinn said she captured 12 to 15 U.S. Border Patrol agents at a 7-Eleven on Northwest Highway on video as they stood among the gas pumps Tuesday.

“There were agents hanging out in the parking lot, holding their guns and laughing as customers came and went,” she said. “They were menacing and scary, and I couldn't believe that it's actually legal to openly hold those massive weapons at a place where so many neighborhood kids hang out a block from Fairview school.”

Village officials have not said how they plan to respond to resident demands.