Copyright Joliet, IL Patch
The mayor described a few local incidents. He said federal agents don't notify local police. ELMHURST, IL – Federal immigration agents have visited Elmhurst as part of their operations over the last couple of months, the mayor said Tuesday. In an interview, Mayor Scott Levin said he has seen a lot of rumors about local immigration activities. He said he has confirmed a few local instances. In early September, Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Midway Blitz in the Chicago area as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on those who are in the country illegally. Levin said Elmhurst hasn't seen as much presence of immigration agents as neighboring towns. He said the agents do not notify local police about their operations. That has been the case across the area. In Elmhurst, the agents have approached landscapers, Levin said. "Whether they were taken, I don't know," he said. Levin also said he has seen video of immigration agents stopping a car near Angelo's Ristorante, not far from City Hall. In another case, agents pulled over a car at a local dealership, Levin said. It was unclear whether the driver was at the dealership or just pulled into the lot while being stopped, the mayor said. The mayor noted immigration authorities detained a local business owner. But the man, who does not live in Elmhurst, was taken into custody outside city limits, Levin said. In October, a video surfaced of an immigration raid at an apartment complex in Bensenville, a few blocks north of the Elmhurst city limit. The complex is within Elmhurst School District 205. More than a dozen federal agents were visible in the footage, most of them wearing masks. Also, an Elmhurst alderman reported at a recent City Council meeting that federal agents pulled York High School students out of a car at gunpoint last month in Lombard. Lombard police acknowledged they received a report of the incident a couple of days afterward.
