The Bolingbrook Police Department plans to continue complying with an Illinois law that limits their cooperation with immigration authorities following concerns over a federal crackdown in Chicago.
In a statement Tuesday, Bolingbrook village officials said they’ve received “numerous inquiries” on deportation operations from Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Chicago area.
“The village remains steadfast in our commitment to our community members and encourages our residents to be supportive of each other during this potentially stressful time. The Bolingbrook Police Department complies fully with the Illinois TRUST Act and does not independently undertake immigration-related investigations,” Bolingbrook village officials said.
The TRUST Act generally prohibits local law enforcement in Illinois from participating in immigration enforcement, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office.
“Illinois’ TRUST Act acknowledges that civil immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government, and that state and local law enforcement resources are most appropriately utilized protecting the communities in which they serve,” Raoul said in a statement July 25.
No person will be denied police services or any other benefit based on their immigration status, Bolingbrook village officials said.
The police department will not “stop, search or arrest any person solely on the person’s perceived immigration status,” village officials said.
No witness, victim or anyone else reporting a crime will be questioned regarding their immigration status “absent a lawful arrest for a criminal offense,” village officials said.
“[Bolingbrook Police Department] will not proactively notify ICE of the arrest of an undocumented person absent a federal criminal warrant or a federal judicial determination of probable cause. The Bolingbrook Police Department is dedicated to building trust within our community and will not waste resources eroding it,” village officials said.
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On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced “Operation Midway Blitz.”
“This ICE operation will target the criminal illegal aliens who flocked to Chicago and Illinois because they knew [Gov. JB] Pritzker and his sanctuary policies would protect them and allow them to roam free on American streets,” Homeland Security officials said.
In response to the announcement, Pritzker said, “Once again, this isn’t about fighting crime.”
“That requires support and coordination, and yet we’ve experienced nothing like that over the past several weeks,” Pritzker said in a post on X, previously known as Twitter. “Instead of taking steps to work with us on public safety, [U.S. President Donald Trump] administration’s focused on scaring Illinoisans.”
In another post Tuesday, Pritzker said Illinois law enforcement “works closely” with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to “get guns off our streets;” with the FBI to arrest gang members; and with the Drug Enforcement Administration to “destroy the fentanyl trade.”
“So why is Trump sabotaging our ongoing work with federal law enforcement partners?” Pritzker said.