‘It just hurts’: Community members express anger, fear and frustration over immigration enforcement in Elgin
Roughly 200 community members expressed anger, frustration and fear over federal immigration enforcement during a forum Wednesday night in Elgin.
The meeting at The Centre of Elgin provided an opportunity for people to share concerns and ask questions regarding the city’s response to recent actions by federal immigration officers, specifically following an incident on Dec. 6 on Maple Lane where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers employed tear gas and pepper balls on a crowd gathered to protest the arrest of an Elgin man.
Elgin City Council members, police department representatives, and Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser listened to more than 30 people who asked questions and made comments.
Zach Hislip of Elgin said he was one of the people teargassed by federal agents on Maple Lane. He said federal agents “were lying about everything” that happened during the enforcement action.
“They said there was a riot,” he said. “There was no riot. They said we were throwing rocks and bricks. There were no rocks and bricks. And they lied and said the Elgin police didn’t show up. They did show up. They lied about everything.”
Hislip said his fear is that this is only the beginning.
“They’re going to be more violent,” he said. “They’re going to kill people like they did today (in Minneapolis). They’re going to kill people in Elgin. They’re going to kill our neighbors.”
Kimberly Gomez-Hernandez, 16, said she spoke with many friends from Elgin High School about the situation.
“We feel hopeless. We feel sad. We feel angry at the treatment of members in our community,” she said, fighting back tears. “It just hurts. It hurts to see them treated like this. And when we don’t see more visible action done by our local government, it doesn’t feel like something can change.”
Mayor David Kaptain said he understands residents are frustrated. But he added that cities do not have the legal authority to stop federal immigration enforcement.
“We know that many residents are hurting, angry and afraid,” Kaptain said. “We have heard from families who feel unsafe, from parents who worry about what might happen when they leave their homes and from neighbors who no longer feel a sense of security they deserve. These feelings are real, and they matter.”
Residents said they still want to feel like they are getting more support from city officials.
“We cannot ignore what is happening here. Because when you don’t take a position, you are taking a position,” said Vanessa Zamudia of Elgin. “What is happening here is so inhumane.”
Jennifer Rosales of Elgin echoed that sentiment.
“Your silence is complicity,” she said. “I understand that there are limitations to what you can do, but you can say more. You can show up more when it’s necessary, when it’s important.”
Rosales said despite being a U.S. citizen, she doesn’t feel safe on the street and that it’s not a matter of if, but when, something happens in Elgin similar to the killing of a woman in Minneapolis by an immigration officer Wednesday morning.
“I’m not a criminal, I’m just brown,” she said.
Council member Anthony Ortiz said many of his family members are undocumented. He said he understood the feelings of many of the people in attendance.
“Half my family … is scared to go to work, go shopping,” he said. “I live it every day. My family lives it every day, and my friends live it every day, and I truly understand it.”
Council member Diana Alfaro said the council wanted the feedback and that she heard the community asking for more support from elected representatives.
“I will hold myself accountable to make sure that I’m saying more,” she said. “I will find different ways to make sure that you’re hearing my voice and making sure to find more ways of showing up.”