State Rep. Briel says she fears heavier ICE presence in Illinois in wake of federal budget bill’s passage

Freshman lawmaker talks ICE activity, proposed bills at DeKalb town hall

State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, talks Friday, July 11, 2025, about some of the difficulties facing Illinois residents during her town hall at at Northern Illinois University’s Holmes Student Center in DeKalb. Briel will be hosting town halls later this year in Oglesby and Utica.

A state freshman lawmaker is proposing new bills targeting action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, but she’s not fully optimistic they’ll change anything.

State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, told an audience at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb this month that her office says they’ve received word that federal immigration action appears to be spreading across the state. Briel represents the 76th House District, which includes portions of DeKalb and La Salle counties.

“ICE activity has been reported,” Briel said July 11. “We’re beginning to see upticks in all parts of the state. We didn’t see very many [confirmed reports], but you’re right, there have been many instances [of unconfirmed reports]. Those appear to be specifically targeted instances at particular individuals. But if the budget bill that passed the federal government has anything to say about it, we will be anticipating a much bigger presence here.”

Briel said she believes the state’s priorities are in order, but wants changes at the federal level.

In Springfield, Briel and other lawmakers are proposing three bills, which she said are in preliminary stages, meant to address ICE activity in Illinois.

“We have one person who’s working on a mask legislation, but I don’t believe that that’s an avenue that will go anywhere,” Briel said. “But at the state level, we’re doing everything we can to ensure that those who are enforcing the laws, the federal laws are doing so according to the Constitution and according to the laws of the state of Illinois.”

State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, talks Friday, July 11, 2025, about some of the obstacles they have faced in this session during her town hall at at Northern Illinois University’s Holmes Student Center in DeKalb. Briel will be hosting town halls later this year in Oglesby and Utica.

Recently, DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes said he’s fielded calls and inquiries from residents about alleged ICE visits in DeKalb because of the immigration policies pushed by President Donald Trump and his administration.

“There’s been a lot of concern with what’s happening at the national level,” Barnes said on June 19. “And I’ve had multiple one-on-one conversations with people about it, clarifying the city of DeKalb’s stance that ultimately we’re following state law. Our DeKalb Police Department won’t interact with ICE agents. And really at the core level for us, we want to be able to have a trusting relationship with everyone that lives in the city of DeKalb.”

A DeKalb-based service group, DeKalb Area Rapid Response Team, over the past few weeks have posted on social media reporting they’d received multiple videos on several different occasions. The group, formerly known as Welcoming Western Counties, alleged that the videos showed ICE agents approaching people in DeKalb. The organization, which includes people from faith communities and area service agencies, reportedly has what it calls a “Rapid Response Team” ready to aid people who may be approached by federal immigration agents.

The team’s staff did not respond to request for comment by press time.

Shaw Local News Network has been unable to confirm any ICE-related arrests or activity in DeKalb County.

State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, talks Friday, July 11, 2025, about some of the difficulties facing Illinois residents during her town hall at at Northern Illinois University’s Holmes Student Center in DeKalb. Briel will be hosting town halls later this year in Oglesby and Utica.

When reached by Shaw Local on June 17, DeKalb Police Chief David Byrd said he could not confirm if ICE agents were in town or if any arrests had occurred. When reached July 11, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jim Burgh said the Sheriff’s Office is not aware of any ICE arrests or activity in the area. He said he also is not aware of any immigration agents entering the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore.

But that hasn’t stopped rumors and fear from surging, in DeKalb and beyond.

About a month ago, amid swirling social media posts, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara confirmed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was in the city, but said officials “cannot confirm whether it was specifically ICE,” noting that ICE operates under the DHS, McNamara said in a video posted to the city’s Facebook page June 12.

In a statement to Shaw Local in response to inquiries on whether federal immigration enforcement agents had been in DeKalb, a spokesperson for the DHS did not address DeKalb questions specifically.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents are on the streets every day, prioritizing public safety by locating, arresting, and removing criminal alien offenders and immigration violators from our neighborhoods,” according to the statement. “All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and if found removable by final order, removed from the U.S.”

When asked directly if immigration agents were in DeKalb, the FBI’s Chicago field office also did not confirm.

“For the past several months the FBI, along with other Department of Justice law enforcement partners, have been assisting the Department of Homeland Security in targeted enforcement operations, at the direction of the Attorney General,” an FBI Chicago field office spokesperson said.

Illinois law prohibits local law enforcement from working with federal ICE agents under the TRUST Act, something DeKalb city officials reminded the public of in January.

Barnes – who ran as a Democrat in 2024 for the seat Briel now holds – criticized the Republican president for targeting Democrat-led cities and communities with heavy immigrant populations.

“For the president of the United States to single out communities based off of their policies on immigration, I think, is a political maneuver and not in the best interests of the citizens of the U.S.,” Barnes said. “We should treat every city and every state equally when it comes to the enforcement of our state and federal laws. The political games need to stop.”

Immigration raids have been heavily prioritized months into Trump’s second term.

Massive “No Kings” protests opposing Trump-era policies such as immigration took place last month, including in Chicago, DeKalb and across northern Illinois. Another protest, named “Good Trouble Lives On” by organizers, is planned at noon Saturday at Hopkins Park in DeKalb to honor the birthday of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

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