Oak Park’s strategy for countering federal immigration enforcement efforts focused on the region is continuing to take shape.
Oak Park village board voted unanimously to pass an “ICE free zone” ordinance banning federal immigration agents from using village property as a location for staging or processing at the board’s meeting Tuesday, Nov. 4. Last month, board members had a discussion about developing the ordinance, which is based on legislation passed recently in Chicago, Evanston, Cook County, Lake County and other area communities in recent weeks.
“This reminds me of why we do this work,” said Trustee Chibuike Enyia. “This is not an easy time, and it’s not going to be over anytime soon.”
The ordinance comes following weeks of ICE activity in Oak Park, including the arrest of a laborer near an Oak Park elementary school the morning of Oct. 27. The village of Oak Park canceled its annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration last month, and the Oak Park Public Library cancelled its Día de Muertos event over concerns the events would attract ICE attention.
Federal criminal charges have also been brought against several Oak Parkers following encounters with immigration agents at local protests, including Oak Park Trustee Brian Straw who was indicted last week on federal conspiracy charges in connection with a protest at ICE’s Broadview detention facility in September.
Straw brought kits containing whistles and pamphlets with information on immigrants’ rights to the meeting. He asked residents in attendance to take home the kits, to blow the whistles if they see ICE or Broder Patrol agents in the community and to film any encounters they see.
“Together, we keep us safe,” Straw said.
The federal government says it’s arrested more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants in the months since it started so-called Operation Midway Blitz operations targeting Chicagoland. These federal operations have also led to chaotic scenes across the region, a deluge of federal court cases and allegations that federal agents are illegally violating residents’ rights and racially profiling Latino people.
The newly passed ordinance builds on an existing immigration sanctuary ordinance that bars village employees from aiding federal immigration investigations.
“We want to make sure that we have maximum leverage to protect the spaces we do control,” said Trustee Derek Eder.
The legislation moved quickly after Eder and Trustee Jenna Leving Jacobson put a discussion about the strategy on the agenda for the board’s final October meeting with the hope that it would lead to the ordinance being on the books after Nov. 4.
“We brought this up very last minute before the last meeting, and it was turned around with great care and efficiency,” Leving Jacobson said. “I just appreciate everyone’s attention to what is an ever-escalating crisis.”
Finalizing Oak Park’s “ICE free zone” ban was the lone agenda item for the village board’s meeting on Tuesday. That night’s meeting was at one point scheduled to center around a “Truth in Taxation” hearing and a study session for the 2026 village budget, but those matters are now set to be discussed at Nov. 11’s board meeting, according to village documents.
The Oak Park Township board also voted to pass its own ordinance banning federal immigration officers from township-owned property at its meeting Oct. 28.
“Ensuring that all residents feel safe and respected when accessing Township services is fundamental to our mission,” said Township Supervisor Tim Thomas in a statement about the ordinance. “Recent increases in federal immigration enforcement in and surrounding Oak Park has raised concerns about safety, trust, and accessibility. This resolution aims to preserve community trust and safeguard access to vital Township programs and services.”
