Jim Duggan’s daughter lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her well being and safety weighs on him heavily every day.

Duggan, of Manteno, gave an emotional plea Tuesday at the Kankakee County Board meeting. He spoke from his heart.

His adopted daughter is Asian American and a U.S. citizen, and she works in Minneapolis. She doesn’t leave her home without documentation.

“She’s never felt less safe in her life,” Duggan said. “My wife‚ [Julie Larsen], just went and spent a week with her because she literally does not like leaving her apartment unless she’s with a white person. This is true for many citizens of St. Paul and Minneapolis.”

Duggan, 62, is a retired assistant superintendent at the Bourbonnais Elementary School District, and he spoke during public comment at the Board meeting. He said our country has seen (via video) two citizens shot and killed in Minneapolis in the past few weeks by agents from the U.S. Customs and Enforcement and Border Patrol agencies during immigration enforcements.

He said those agents aren’t being held accountable.

“Rather, the victims are being smeared and targeted, and we are being asked to not believe what we see with our own eyes,” Duggan said. “These ICE agents are not trying to make anyone safe or enforce immigration policy. They are present to strike fear into those who refuse to bow down to authoritarianism or simply choose to present an opposing narrative to the one being pushed by Washington.”

Duggan said his daughter went to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis seven years ago and remained in the area after graduation. She works at a social service agency in Minneapolis.

“She’s escorted from her office at work by a white supervisor, so she’s safe and not abducted,” he said. “She carries her passport with her everywhere. American citizens should not have to carry their passport, but that’s a necessity in St. Paul and Minneapolis. We don’t want that here.”

In Kankakee, Duggan said we have functioning partnerships among county law enforcement, the state’s attorney and groups such as Kankakee Forgives and Kankakee United. He said that collaboration has led to a decrease in homicides in three of the past four years, according to data from the Coroner’s Office.

“Injecting an agency like ICE into our communities, puts a chill into the community,” he said. “... It forces community members to be silent and invisible. This does not make us safer, but rather the opposite. Today, I ask you to act in solidarity with your community. I ask you to make a statement that you do not seek nor support ICE activity in Kankakee County.”

The Board took no action in regards to ICE, and no written resolution is planned.

“We support law enforcement,” said County Board Chairman Matthew Alexander-Hildebrand on Wednesday.

Through state law, local police departments aren’t allowed to assist ICE, and Kankakee County no longer houses ICE detainees at the Jerome Combs Detention Center due to the Illinois Way Forward law that went into effect Jan. 1, 2022.

Duggan said his daughter also carries with her a certificate of citizenship with her as an extra layer of protection. He’s fearful that might not be enough.

“There’s been many instances where, like, [agents say] ‘That’s not real, that’s not true,’” he said. “You end up in a detention center in Texas before we would even know. … That happens, right?. She does have to drive around for work, so that’s a stress. She’s worried all the time. That’s not OK.”