Immigration agencies deny responsibility for mysterious drones spotted in Wheeling

Federal immigration agencies insist they aren’t flying the drones Wheeling residents have reported seeing in their neighborhoods.

Neither U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement nor U.S. Customs and Border Protection are responsible for the aircraft, agency representatives said.

“This was not ICE,” spokesperson Nina Pruneda said in an email. Likewise, Customs and Border Patrol isn’t running any operations involving drones in the Chicago area, a spokesperson for that agency said.

The drones aren’t being flown by local police, either, Village Manager Jon Sfondilis said, and the police department is unaware of other law enforcement agencies using drones in Wheeling.

An FBI spokesperson said the drones aren’t theirs.

Sfondilis said the village first received a complaint from a resident about drones on Nov. 14. Several residents expressed concerns about the drone activity at Monday’s village board meeting.

The machines have been in the sky over residential areas for weeks, “sometimes for hours at a time,” resident Agustin Salgado told trustees.

The devices don’t look like those designed for recreational use, Salgado said.

“They’re large, loud and equipped with cameras, and they follow people,” he said.

The drones have been spotted by people walking their dogs and picking kids up from school, Salgado said. They’ve also been seen hovering near windows, he added.

“This is not normal,” Salgado said. “This feels like surveillance.”

Another resident said she’s seen drones in her neighborhood daily, including over her driveway when she and her family are outside.

Wheeling resident Tom Devitt said he’s reported the drones to state and federal elected officials who represent the village.

“I don’t want this to become normalized,” he said.

Officials with Chicago Executive Airport, which is on Wheeling’s east side, don’t know who’s piloting the aircraft. While drone operators are supposed to register with the Federal Aviation Administration and file flight plans with that agency to ensure safe flying, that information isn’t shared with the airport, said Jeffrey J. Miller, the airport’s executive director.

The federal air traffic controllers who work at the airport and pilots are made aware of drone activity only if it will impact airport airspace, Miller said.

Eliminating local and federal agencies as possible operators means civilians likely are responsible, Village President Pat Horcher said.

If more Wheeling residents spot unwanted drones at their homes, Horcher recommended they take photos of the machines and follow them back to their users.

“I think that’s the last thing whoever is operating these things is going to expect,” he said.

Horcher recommended calling 911 if a troublesome drone operator is located rather than confronting one verbally or physically.

Sfondilis urged drone owners to fly responsibly and respect their neighbors.

“Unauthorized drone activity not only violates federal rules — it can create real and unnecessary fear,” Sfondilis said.