For some people, it takes years to become involved in the inner workings of their community.

For most people, it never happens.

For 21-year-old Dominic Compton, it took less than six months.

The Bourbonnais resident, a 2022 graduate of Boone Grove High School in Valparaiso, Indiana, spurred on by the federal crackdown regarding illegal immigration, is seeking to create something of a safe place for the public.

Compton, a Bourbonnais resident since August and with no political or elected experience, is seeking to have an ordinance created in Bourbonnais making it clear where federal law enforcement members are not locally allowed.

“The village needs a clear policy. It helps create trust [in] the area,” he said.

He said other communities have instituted an ordinance in this regard. He said Arlington Heights most recently adopted such legislation. He noted Aurora, Batavia, Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Oak Park, Homewood and Carpentersville are other examples.

At this point, mainly through change.org, just over 160 signatures have been placed on his support-seeking petition. He said two of every three signatures are connected to local zip codes.

“This is about avoiding any confusion,” he said, meaning where federal law enforcement can conduct their duties.

He stressed the potential ordinance is not about restricting or hampering Immigration and Customs Enforcement functions.

“This is not about asking federal agents to stop doing what they are doing. I’m just saying stay away from [governmental] areas where people are seeking access.”

He added he has not yet approached Bourbonnais Mayor Jeff Keast nor any trustees.

Asked how many signatures he is seeking, he said he never set a target number.

“Numbers are not as important. What kind of organizational support do we have is more important,” he said. He is starting to reach out to various groups seeking their support.

Rather, he said, it’s about clearly stating their boundaries. He said people needing to conduct business at village hall or any other village building – including the police department – should not have reason to be concerned about who may be on site.

On the petition site, he wrote he is asking the village board to make clear that village property should never be used by federal agencies to “stage, detain, or carry out civil immigration enforcement.”

He said signs should be posted to state that message, as well.

“This reflects the intent of Illinois law by keeping local resources focused on community priorities while making expectations clear for how village property can be use,” he said on the site.

He called an ordinance such as this a “practical, community-first step that reinforces local control, strengthens trust in local government and law enforcement, and ensures that Bourbonnais spaces serve the people who live and work here.”

If an ordinance is ultimately created and adopted in Bourbonnais it would be the first of its kind in Kankakee County. Compton hopes other governmental bodies will follow.

“It is my hope that Bourbonnais can be an example of how to lead. It’s important to stick up for citizens, especially for those who may be scared or confused.”

Fears remain for Hispanic population

For the Hispanic population in Kankakee County, the response to ICE has centered around keeping themselves and one another safe.

Natalie Ojeda of Momence, president of the Hispanic Partnership of Kankakee County, said that ICE was most active in the region in November and December.

All the cases in Kankakee County have been targeted, meaning ICE had warrants for specific individuals and went to detain them, she said. There haven’t been any “raids” here like there have been in Chicago.

But people remain fearful.

“Generally, what will happen is someone will see someone getting detained, and it kind of catches like wildfire,” Ojeda said. “It’s shared on social media, or they tell other people, and it does cause fear in families.”

Some have been afraid to leave their homes or send their kids to school.

Ojeda has tried to reassure parents that school is a safe place.

Still, parents fear they could get picked up by ICE while their children are at school, and they’ll be gone when their children come home.

There hasn’t been a case like that in the area, Ojeda said.

“There’s still fear, and there’s always going to be that fear due to the climate right now,” she said. “But I think it has settled down a little bit now.”

There was an incident where ICE detained someone in front of a local restaurant. It seemed the person had been on their lunch break from work.

“When people saw that, that really instilled a lot more fear in people,” Ojeda said.

Although ICE had a warrant for this individual, it appeared as though agents had simply been in the area and picked up someone at random.

“Especially when that happened, a lot of families were scared to go to work, scared to go to the laundry mats and things like that,” she said.

The community response has included efforts to help fearful neighbors.

Some Hispanic grocery stores started offering delivery services.

A small group of community members have been closely monitoring local activity and sending updates through text messages or Facebook chats.

Such communication chains have been useful to verify what is actually happening.

Ojeda noted operations by the Kankakee Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group have been mistaken for ICE at times.

“Someone [would be] going out there to verify it is OK for you to leave your house,” she said.

Activism pushing for change

Local activists have been pushing for change in the wake of what some believe to be a governmental overreach on immigration and the excessive use of force by ICE.

Last Sunday, two activist groups, Indivisible Kankakee and Connect Kankakee, came together to hold a vigil for Renee Nicole Good, 37, who was shot and killed Jan. 7 by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

The gathering of about 100 outside of the Grow Center in Bourbonnais was one of more than 1,000 “ICE Out for Good” Weekend of Action rallies held across the nation.

Brandon Hudspeth, an organizer with Connect Kankakee, said the rallies and calls for political action are only part of the equation.

Activists are also seeking to form a rapid response network, assisting with the verification of local ICE activity and keeping community members informed.

Hudspeth said the purpose of Sunday’s vigil was twofold – to hold space for people’s intense emotions and reactions to the news of Good’s death, and also to call them to action.

Sympathizers are asked to join efforts for a rapid response network and also call upon elected officials to acknowledge Good’s death.

Hudspeth said the gathering provided a much-needed outlet for those who may be struggling with a sense of powerlessness from national news.

“That’s one of the driving forces – being able to express that certain things aren’t OK,” he said. “The atrocities and abuses won’t just be tolerated.”

This particular event was intended to be more of a vigil, rather than focused on political demands, he said.

Part of activists’ ongoing work will be to see that elected officials take action.

Hudspeth noted that the national Days of Action and rallies succeed in creating a narrative about the type of change that is wanted, but they don’t necessarily build the kind of continuous pressure needed for policy to be passed.

“We can do both,” he said. “We can have our symbolic protest, build the community, create the space for grief, solidarity and action, but also interweave people doing the good work to pass policy.”