Seated in a wheelchair just off the asphalt parking lot at a Bourbonnais church, David Lareau sang along with a gathering of about 100.

As a cold, gentle breeze swept through those gathered at the not-for-profit Grow Center, 310 Main Street NW, on this early Sunday afternoon, Lareau, 69, quietly sang along as he adjusted an oxygen tube in his nose.

The parking lot area was the site for the latest in a series of Indivisible Illinois rallies held over the past weekend. In all, more than 1,000 ‘ICE Out for Good’ Weekend of Action rallies were held.

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ICE Out for Good rally Residents and organizers listen as Dominic Compton, 21, of Bourbonnais speaks during an ICE Out for Good protest and vigil at The Grow Center in Bourbonnais on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. The event was planned in the wake of the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, Minn. (Tiffany Blanchette)

Indivisible Illinois is part of the national Indivisible Project, which organized and conducted rallies across the United States, sparked primarily by the recent shooting death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

A national organization targeting what organizers and supporters believe to be a governmental overreach regarding illegal immigration, an Indivisible Kankakee rally was held to push for a relaxation of the federal use of law enforcement regarding illegal immigration and deportation.

This weekend’s events spread across Illinois and the nation, focusing on Good. The 37-year-old woman was killed in a Jan. 7 shooting by an ICE agent.

She had been shot inside her Honda Pilot SUV as she was being ordered to leave the scene of an ICE enforcement operation in a residential area of Minneapolis.

Lareau, donning a stocking hat and a hood, said he wasn’t planning on attending the Sunday rally. However, he saw an announcement for the event early Sunday and said it was something he had to do.

“I just feel it’s so important to be out here,” he said. “It’s absolutely about ICE. Get them out of our streets.”

He paused for a moment.

“This could have been my niece,” he said. The singing ended.

Excessive force?

A series of speakers addressed the gathering, largely composed of regular residents.

Gary Ciaccio, of Kankakee, was a key figure in organizing the rally, which he describes as more like a vigil.

He said Indivisible Kankakee is somewhat of a spinoff of the previous three No Kings and Hands Off rallies, which have been held in front of the Kankakee County Courthouse in past months.

“This has to stop,” Ciaccio explained before the 1 p.m. event as people gathered under the gray skies. “... The overreach by ICE. They are targeting individuals. They are using excessive violence.”

Minneapolis has become Ground Zero as President Trump’s administration works to gather and deport migrants.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul region has a large Somalian population, which has made it a target. According to the Associated Press, the overwhelming majority are American citizens: 58% were born in the US, and 87% of the foreign-born are naturalized citizens.

The area is currently undergoing an investigation into a series of fraud cases involving government programs. These investigations began in 2022 under the Biden administration. Prosecutors have put the losses from one case, known as Feeding Our Future, at $300 million alone, with one prosecutor, Joe Thompson, estimating the total of all cases could reach $1 billion. Governor Tim Walz said in December that an audit is due in late January that could provide a more accurate picture.

So far, 57 people have been convicted, and an additional 13 are awaiting trial, according to the Associated Press.

Upwards of 2,500 ICE agents have been working in this area to gather illegal immigrants and documents from these suspected non-functioning businesses.

‘Rule of law’

Ciaccio said the shooting death has brought the Minneapolis investigation to an entirely new level and a national focus.

He said Good was attempting to leave the area. There was no reason to use this type of force.

“There was no reason lethal force was justified,” he said.

Ciaccio said people simply want an honest investigation. People want the use of federal law enforcement to be tamped down.

“We want ICE to follow the rule of law, not to be randomly grabbing people. This goes beyond ICE. The president is calling out federal troops.”

Ciaccio is calling for residents to become involved.

One such resident attended the rally.

Lindsey Duhon, of Bourbonnais, said she was attending her first rally.

“I honestly feel this is a (law enforcement) overreach,” she said moments before the event began. “This is not the principles our nation was founded on. This is not how our system works. There is the rule of law.”