Federal officials have yet to disclose whether they’ve been involved in reports of immigration enforcement activity in Joliet, including one that was alleged to have occurred at the Will County Courthouse.

When The Herald-News contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about whether they’ve been involved in one these incidents last Thursday in Joliet, a spokeswoman requested more information.

“Do you have a specific location or why you believe it was ICE? Or an A#, [date of birth] and name for an individual? Please provide as much identifying information as you can for us to look into this. Pictures or videos are also helpful,” said ICE spokeswoman Erin Bultje.

By contrast, when The Herald-News contacted the Joliet Police Department after learning of a non-fatal shooting on Sept. 10, the department’s spokesman provided specific details about the incident.

Downtown Joliet incident

On Monday morning, a local group known as Warehouse Workers For Justice received a report of federal agents in the “vicinity” of Joliet City Hall.

Witnesses reported seeing “one person had been pulled over, their window smashed and was apprehended by a combination of several unmasked and masked agents,” according to the group.

When asked of the incident on Monday, Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said it was his understanding that ICE agents took a person in custody following a traffic stop in the 100 block of West Jefferson Street

“It occurred on the street and not at City Hall. The Joliet Police Department was not involved,” English said.

Amy Sanchez, a community activist, referenced the incident at Monday’s Joliet City Council meeting.

“I was literally having conversations early this morning with folks terrorized from an incident that happened right outside City Hall. We are literally...and the federal government agents that were out there didn’t even bother to clean up the glass that they broke all over the street,” Sanchez said.

Will County Courthouse incident

As of Tuesday, ICE has yet to acknowledge whether they were involved in the incident on Monday in Joliet, on Thursday in the same city and on July 24 at the Will County Courthouse.

When asked about the courthouse incident, Bultje said, “If you are asking about an alien, we will need their full name, date of birth and or the A number. Without this information, we will be unable to provide you a response.”

Kevin Hedemark, Will County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said federal authorities took a person into custody outside a second-floor courtroom but he was not sure whether it was an ICE arrest.

Hedemark said the sheriff’s office was not notified ahead of time and did not have details on the arrest.

“Law enforcement officers, including federal agents, are regularly present at the Will County Courthouse. They are not required to disclose the reason for their visit and it is not the policy of the Will County Sheriff’s Office to inquire about their purpose on site. As a result, it is not possible to determine which agencies or officers may be present at any given time,” Hedemark said.

July 9 incident

About a month before the recent federal immigration crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood said she had not yet received a response from top federal officials regarding a report of a “reckless” immigration enforcement incident on July 9 in Joliet.

Underwood’s letter raised concerns about a report in which federal immigration enforcement agents “rammed” their unmarked vehicle into a civilian vehicle in a “high-traffic” area.

Underwood had addressed the letter to Todd Lyons, ICE acting director, and Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The letter also received media coverage.

A spokesman for Underwood told The Herald-News that Underwood brought up the Joliet incident when she was briefed by ICE leadership on Monday.

But Underwood was “asked to resend the letter because ‘they didn’t have it,’” Underwood’s spokesman said.