Barrington delays ICE ordinance, Palatine rebuffs citizen proposal

Barrington officials delayed action on a proposal restricting federal immigration agents from village property, while Palatine leaders rejected a similar proposal.

Both boards met Monday night.

A packed audience at village hall in Palatine was upset with the decision announced by Village Manager Reid Ottesen.

“As a longtime Palatine resident, I have never felt unsafe in our community until today,” said resident Jennie Lussow, who captured video of two masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with guns detaining a man Monday afternoon at the corner of Colfax and Schiller streets.

“They were hurting him. He was not resisting. He was terrified,” she said.

She said Palatine police officers were on the scene but did not act.

Officers are not supposed to assist federal immigration agents, but can intervene if they feel someone’s safety is at risk.

Both Ottesen and Mayor Jim Schwantz said they do not condone the actions of federal agents, but Ottesen said the citizen-proposed ordinance had provisions that are illegal or unenforceable.

“We don’t adopt laws just to send a message. We adopt laws to enforce laws,” he said.

Ottesen highlighted efforts to build relationships between residents and police, including the creation of a new police division focused on community engagement.

Barrington trustees took no action Monday after debating whether to pass an ordinance or a resolution that would express the board’s position on ICE enforcement.

Trustee Brian Prigge, who put the ordinance on the agenda, said it is modeled after one adopted in nearby Carpentersville, saying it is narrowly tailored to avoid making political statements and to avoid making overt promises.

“If U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were to show up and say we’re using your holding cells as a detention facility, this gives us a policy way to say no,” he said.

Trustees raised concerns about placing enforcement in the hands of Village Manager Scott Anderson. Village Attorney Jim Bateman also suggested the village should wait for the outcome of the federal government’s challenge of the Illinois TRUST Act.

“I just don't like passing laws that have no meaning,” Trustee Kate Duncan said.

But Trustee Todd Sholeen said, “I find what’s been going on in our country to be disgusting, and I want to take a stand.”

Barrington trustees meet again Nov. 24.