By Kevin Gosztola, Editor
Masked ICE agents clad in military-style gear detained two people who were completing landscaping and roofing jobs just a block away from Elm Middle School.
According to videos, photos, and several additional sources, on October 20, ICE agents showed up to the 1700 block of 76th Avenue. Multiple agents wearing ski gaiters had a roofer climb down from a ladder, and then they apprehended him.
A laborer working for a landscaping company was targeted by ICE as well. The landscapers left the scene after a member of their crew was taken by agents. They were gone for at least an hour and left behind a trailer before returning to finish the job.
Also, at Elmgrove and 80th Avenue by the Elmwood Park Cemetery and Mausoleum, ICE agents rounded up several landscapers from Red’s Landscape and Construction Company.
The company was contracted by the Village of Elmwood Park. ICE agents questioned the landscapers and then detained one of them. Roofers with a different company, who were completing a separate job, were questioned, too.
Although ICE vehicles were allegedly spotted in Elmwood Park later in the day, these three detentions are the only detentions that the Elmwood Park Advocate was able to confirm.
In Maywood, which is by Forest Park, video captured masked ICE agents as they zip-tied the hands of a laborer who was completing a construction or roofing job.
The same day ICE operations were observed and reported by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) in quite a few Chicago suburbs, including Melrose Park, Oak Park, and River Forest.
ICIRR confirmed that ICE agents were driving a black Ford Explorer, a gray Denali SUV, a gray Ford Expedition, a white Chrysler Pacifica, a dark gray Jeep Wagoneer, a black pickup truck, and two white Ford Expeditions (one of them had a black back).
While the Village of Elmwood Park did not put out a statement, the Village of River Forest addressed the “presence of federal immigration agents conducting enforcement actions within the community.”
“Reports indicate that the activity targeted landscapers and contractors in the 500 and 600 blocks of Franklin Avenue,” the village shared. “At this time, the Village has not received confirmation regarding the number of individuals detained or the nature of any charges filed. Federal agencies did not notify or coordinate with the Village prior to initiating these actions.”
Back in September, ICE made headlines after federal agents allegedly rounded up several roofers who were working on a home in Naperville. Neighbors informed the homeowner, who was not home at the time, that agents “knocked down the ladders so they could not leave the roof and basically they said either jump or stay up there.”
As five workers jumped and tried to flee, ICE agents chased them down. One roofer was allegedly chased by agents who had their guns drawn. (All five of the laborers were documented.)
Homeowner Bobby Fischer reacted, “This is just people trying to make a living and you’re harming us, the homeowners. This isn’t a business, this isn’t you raided a factory. This is a home that you surrounded with guns. I have children I don’t want that here. There was no reason for it to be here.”
Following a confirmed detention near Elm Middle School and unconfirmed reports of ICE activity throughout Elmwood Park, families were once again filled with fear and anxiety about what could happen while their children were at school. There was particular concern about ICE possibly trying to detain people during after school pickup.
Leah Gauthier, the superintendent for the Elmwood Park school district, has been asked to reassure parents and guardians. Yet Gauthier has declined to publicly address fears fueled by ICE.
Parents or guardians who write to Gauthier have received some version of the following statement in response to their questions and comments:
“We are in constant communication with individual families on a case by case basis to provide resources and support them as needed. This is not a public communication topic as the district respects the rights and privacy of all families…”
Several parents indicate that they have had encouraging conversations with teachers and staff at Elmwood Park schools, but many teachers and staff are unsure how far they can go in helping students prepare for a potential ICE encounter.
They would like more support from the superintendent and the Board of Education, which is led by President Frank Parisi, especially to plan for scenarios where ICE operations may spill over on to school property.
The article was updated to include details related to a third person who was detained by ICE on October 20.
Thank you for reporting on this. It’s shameful our village and the school board has not made a statement yet.
😢