On Feb. 3, as part of “A Day Without Immigrants,” a social media movement urged immigrants to avoid work, school, and shopping to highlight their economic impact.
That same day, local residents gathered at 1330 S. Neltnor Blvd., the Thorntons gas station at 10 a.m., before marching downtown, protesting potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement in their community and calling for protections for immigrants.
Protesters marched along Route 59 toward City Hall, with around 150 people holding signs and chanting in support of immigrant rights. Passing drivers honked in solidarity as they made their way through town. The protest lasted for hours, with participants carrying signs and Mexican flags, chanting, “Latinos unidos jamás serán vencidos,” which translates to: “Latinos united will never be defeated.”
“La meta de esta protesta es decirle a todo West Chicago que la migra no es bienvenida,” Gabriela Hernandez, co-director of Casa of DuPage County, said.
Hernandez stated that the Latino community does not support the Trump administration’s immigration policies. She emphasized that the protest was a way to prove that West Chicago wants to be heard and that its residents do not want ICE enforcement agents entering the community.
Concerns Over Mass Deportations
Some students at West Chicago Community High School have expressed concerns about the possibility of mass deportations in a community with a large immigrant population.
“West Chicago is a very Latino-based community, so there’s a big population of immigrants here who just come to work and work hard,” senior Adamary Vega said.
Vega explained that many immigrants in West Chicago take on low-wage jobs that others are unwilling to do, such as working as janitors or field workers.
To support students, Dr. Will Dwyer, principal of West Chicago Community High School, announced the school is providing new resources and hosting student forums on immigration rights.
“Starting on Friday, we’re going to be doing some student forums with some of our students who are in the EL program or may or may not have family members in this situation, just talking through different opportunities of knowing your rights and accessing resources,” Dwyer said.
He also highlighted the handouts and legal resources shared with staff during a recent training.
“This is from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, helping people know their rights if they interact with ICE agents. This is another resource for immigration hotlines, World Relief,” Dwyer said. “Probably the most valuable resource is a variety of different legal referral systems. If you have specific questions—let’s say about an asylum case or public benefits—these are different legal groups that will work with you.”
Dwyer reassured students that the school is doing everything in its power to ensure their safety.
“We’re going to be pushing all this information out to our community and talking with kids, really trying to assure them: hey, you’re safe here. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure you’re safe here,” he said.
Debunking Rumors
With social media’s ability to spread misinformation, the truth can sometimes be distorted.
A photo of a black SUV has been circulating across platforms like Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram, with captions claiming it is an immigration enforcement vehicle. However, West Chicago Police Officer Mike Levato confirmed that the vehicle in the image is actually a coworker’s enforcement truck, not an ICE vehicle.
“I heard it, and I saw those pictures of, like, it was a black police-type truck. Yeah, that’s our truck, [my] enforcement guy’s truck,” Levato said.
Police say they have not been contacted about ICE operating in the area, and even if they were, the agency would not be required to notify them.
“They wouldn’t be legally obligated to tell us that they are coming, [but] we’ve worked with ATF, DEA, FBI, and they always tell us, ‘Hey, we’re going to be in town doing this.’ So I would assume we would get a courtesy call, but nothing yet,” Levato said.
Dwyer clarified the school’s official protocol if ICE agents were to arrive.
“If an ICE agent were to come to one of our front desks, our staff would immediately contact either the superintendent or myself, depending on who is available, and we would be the ones to interact with those agents,” Dwyer said. “We’re going to verify that they actually are who they say they are. We’re going to confirm the validity of their credentials. We’re going to decline access to the building. The exception is we can’t decline access if they have a judicial warrant.”
Dwyer also emphasized the legal protections in place for students.
“A lot of times, ICE agents will show up with an ICE warrant signed by an ICE officer. We need one signed by a federal judge to allow them entry into a public school. There’s no situation—without a judicial warrant—in which we would release any information about students,” he said. “I have not heard of a single incident in the entire country of ICE agents coming to a school, because of these federal protections.”
He emphasized that the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects student information and prevents schools from sharing it with outside agencies.
For more information on West Chicago Community High School’s policies regarding ICE enforcement, including Board of Education guidelines and publicly available documents, visit the district’s website.
