Farmers Weekly Review

Will County Board — Sanctuary County Resolution Rejected On Partisan Vote

By Nick Reiher

Charging that Republicans were creating another opportunity for divisiveness, Democrats on the Will County Board rejected a non-binding resolution declaring Will as a non-sanctuary county.
Eleven Democrats at the meeting voted no, and all six Republicans voted for the resolution.
Shortly before the vote, Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Tatroe responded to Board Member Jackie Traynere, D-Bolingbrook, saying the resolution would not require law enforcement to enforce the provisions, including blocking bus loads of immigrants from being dropped off in the county.
Board Member Dan Butler, R-Frankfort, who introduced the resolution at the July 11 Executive Committee meeting, was adamant the resolution still would send a message that illegal immigrants were not welcome in Will County.
He said the resolution was not aimed at legal immigrants; just those who were, in his words, draining the welfare system of billions of dollars.
Butler chafed at the 166 emailed responses coordinated by the Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project. At one point, as Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry was reading them in to the record, Butler asked if the board could suspend the rules to move on from the duplicate emails.
“I think we all got it after20 or 30 times,” he said. “Did they even read the resolution?”
The motion to suspend the rules failed to get the necessary 14 votes, and Staley Ferry continued reading them into the record, all of which took about two hours.
Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project drafted the letter and asked Will County residents to appeal to the Will County Board at its July 18 meeting, said Jose Vera, co-founder and Executive Director of the group. He said all 166 were from Will County residents who had access to the resolution.
“Folks did have the opportunity to draft their own message and add or made edits to the text,” said Vera, who attended the County Board meeting.
Considering some of the wording in the form emails, Butler doubted whether those who sent them in had read the resolution.
“There is nothing about opposing immigration in this resolution,” he said. In fact, he added, the first part said the county supports legal immigration.
Although 166 people signed a form email and sent it to the county, Butler said “thousands of people” came out last year when Joliet Township was considering using a grant for those seeking sanctuary.
That meeting, which was held in the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theater in Joliet, holds 350 people and was filled to capacity.
Butler’s resolution read in part:
WHEREAS, Illinois law enforcement is governed by the 2017 Illinois Trust Act, which helps bolster cooperation with communities and confirms that law enforcement entities in Illinois are largely prohibited from participating in immigration enforcement operations thus declaring Illinois a “Sanctuary State” for Immigration; and
WHEREAS, local law enforcement may not stop, arrest, search, or detain an individual on the sole basis that they are undocumented; and
WHEREAS, only federal officers have the authority to arrest an individual for violation of civil immigration law without a criminal warrant; and WHEREAS, Illinois cities such as Chicago have declared themselves a “Sanctuary City” by passing their “Welcoming City Ordinance” in 2021 protecting undocumented immigrants and refugees who came into this country illegally; and
WHEREAS, The County of Will resolves to combat illegal immigrants being dropped off in their community via unsafe, unorganized, and illegal actions of private commuter bus services, or other such commercial vehicles such as smaller transport buses, vans, etc.; and
WHEREAS, The County of Will supports other communities and law enforcement in and outside of Will County; and
WHEREAS, the volume of illegal immigrants in voluntary Sanctuary Cities are reportedly overwhelming social service agencies and straining community resources to the point the State of Illinois is offering over $40 million in grants to communities to take on these asylum seekers; and
WHEREAS Will County joins with other communities that are concerned with the lack of a Federal or State comprehensive plan for services to these asylum seekers such as Joliet, Homer Township, Lockport, New Lenox, Kankakee, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village and Rosemont who have passed ordinances prohibiting, restricting and taxing the use of Hotels, Motels, Warehouses, etc. for the extended use by illegal immigrants; and
WHEREAS, Will County by declaring itself a Non- Sanctuary County pledges and re-dedicates its limited resources to its residents in need: senior citizens, families living below the poverty level, veterans, and all those in need of Social Services already here in Will County.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the County of Will, a unit of local government, by and through the Will County Board declare ourselves a Non-Sanctuary County for Illegal Immigration dedicating our limited resources to all those already in need here in Will County.

The form letter from the Southwest Suburban Immigration Project read:
To the members of the Will County Board:
Will County is home to 84,000 immigrants who contribute to and strengthen our communities every day. But the anti-immigrant resolution being presented on Thursday, July 18, runs counter to the welcoming values held by Will County residents. While we as a community and state are certainly facing a challenging moment, this resolution does nothing to address the issue. It will not stop people in need from coming to and seeking a new home in our communities — and it tells current immigrants in Will County that they do not belong here.
Just because other counties have proposed similar ordinances and resolutions doesn’t mean that Will County should too. We have our own values to uphold as a county that has long welcomed immigrants with the dignity and respect they deserve. Passing this resolution is needlessly scapegoating people who have come to Illinois seeking safety and opportunity, just like many of our families once did.
I urge county board members to reject this resolution.

No public comments supported the resolution.
Democrats said the resolution would send a negative message to immigrants, regardless of status. Many are here, contributing to the economy of small businesses as they wait years to become legal.
Representatives of Warehouse Workers for Justice, the Spanish Community Center and residents who spoke in person said many of the workers in local warehouses are immigrants being paid sub-standard wages.
They added the resolution would do nothing to provide needed immigration reform. Board Member Destinee Ortiz, D-Romeoville, said it was disingenuous that Republicans were saying illegal immigrants were taking services away from local, legal immigrants and others.
“You don’t want services for no one, no matter what status,” she said.
Board Member Frankie Pretzel, R-Frankfort, said the resolution would be an opportunity to do something for our residents, offering a clear statement that the county doesn’t want bus loads of immigrants dropped here.
Board Member Elnalyn Costa, D-Bolingbrook, said she saw another purpose for the resolution:
“This national politics being dragged into our board room. It’s not an accident. There is an election coming up.”
She added that no Will County communities are reporting any problems due to those seeking sanctuary.
Traynere added Republicans presented the resolution “to further divide us for political gain. It’s very clear to me this was purely political.”

Nick Reiher is editor of Farmers Weekly Review.