Community members lined Main Street in downtown St. Charles on Saturday with a message they argued city officials are failing to hear: That ICE is not welcome in the community.

Beginning at 11 a.m. on Jan. 3 outside the St. Charles Municipal Building, community members and members of We Can Lead Change Fox Valley rallied to “bring the message of how much we value immigrant contributions to our community.”

At recent City Council meetings, the group has been joined by neighbors calling for the city to ban Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol agents from the use of public property. Several residents have denounced what they called violent tactics by the agents, arguing residents are living in fear of persecution.

Some city officials have met with residents regarding the issue, but have not taken concrete steps toward an official city ordinance. The growing list of communities banning civil immigration enforcement on public property includes Elgin, Aurora, Batavia, and the Kane County Board.

“While we appreciate city officials taking the time to speak with us seemingly to seek solutions, we thus far are finding efforts to be slow-going and minimal,” resident and We Can Lead Change organizer Miki Powell said. “Still, we hope the Council will rise to the occasion and many of us will be back at the Jan. 5 meeting hoping to learn more about the actions the Council intends to take.”

The city published a statement explaining how the police department is legally restricted from coordinating or working with federal immigration officials by the state’s TRUST Act. The law also prohibits local officers from inquiring about an individual’s immigration status during routine interactions.

“We are committed to working together with residents, community groups and partners to ensure everyone feels safe, supported, and heard in St. Charles,” the city said on its website. “The St. Charles Police Department is dedicated to professional, fair policing and to strengthening trust through open dialogue building community partnerships.”

The city provided several links and resources on its webpage to aid people navigating issues with federal immigration raids, including a “Know Your Rights” link.

Since community members first started raising their voices at city meetings, there was reportedly an ICE arrest at the Kane County Courthouse on Nov. 26. The courthouse is in unincorporated St. Charles.

During a Nov. 17 City Council meeting, resident Heather Herrera claimed that since the beginning of “Operation Midway Blitz,” there have been multiple observed incidents of federal operations in St. Charles, including multiple people taken into custody, which Herrera called “abductions.”

According to reports based on records released by President Donald Trump’s administration, only 16 of the more than 600 detained immigrants by ICE in the Chicago area arrested during “Operation Midway Blitz” have criminal histories and are deemed a “high public safety risk.”