Naperville considers restrictions on city resources for federal immigration operations

A group concerned about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the suburbs is calling on Naperville officials to take steps to try to limit those operations in the city.

The Alliance for Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs (ALMAS) has presented a proposed ordinance that would ban the use of Naperville’s city-owned parking lots, buildings and other facilities in immigration operations.

In addition, the proposed ordinance would prohibit city employees from participating in those actions and require them to document any observed violations of the local law.

Lili Burciaga, the president and one of the founders of ALMAS, attended a Naperville City Council meeting on Tuesday.

She said it was not the first time that she and others asked the council to address the issue of immigration enforcement. Several spoke out in the fall but heard little from the city in the months since.

“For many in our community, the lack of clarity has only deepened uncertainty,” Burciaga said. “In moments like this, inaction can deepen uncertainty and erode trust.”

Burciaga noted the proposed ordinance does not block legal civil immigration enforcement and states that access to city property should be granted when a valid judicial warrant is presented.

In cases when a warrant is not presented, the ordinance sets boundaries on the city’s role and how city property can be used.

“The ordinance reflects the values that Naperville has long embraced: Dignity, belonging and respect for all members of our community,” Burciaga said. “It affirms constitutional protections while providing clear guidance for how municipal property and resources should be used.”

City council members are expected to take up the issue after city staff reviews the proposed ordinance from ALMAS.

While many voiced support for the concept, some expressed concern about providing a “false sense of security” by approving anything that cannot be enforced.

“I don’t think there’s any city ordinance that could stop federal civil immigration enforcement,” Mayor Scott Wehrli said.

He noted the city already upholds the state’s TRUST Act, which restricts local law enforcement officers from aiding in federal immigration enforcement, and that city staff recently underwent training from the Illinois attorney general’s office on the topic.

“To sum it up, if the goal here is real safety, we owe people real honesty,” Wehrli said. “And we need to be clear what the city can do and what state law already provides and what no local ordinance can ever guarantee.”

Councilman Ian Holzhauer and other council members, however, signaled support for some type of measure.

Holzhauer requested that city staff return with a report outlining what the city has already done on this matter, a legal review of the proposed ordinance, suggestions for how to educate members of the public about their rights, and options for the city to make a moral statement about the Trump administration's handling of immigration enforcement.

“It’s just like calling out a bully,” Holzhauer said. “Speaking out and saying it's wrong does matter.”