Skokie trustees unanimously adopt ordinance limiting use of village property for civil immigration enforcement

The Skokie Village Board unanimously adopted an ordinance Nov. 3 amending Chapter 58 to clarify and strengthen prohibitions on the use of village‑owned property for civil immigration enforcement.

Village Manager John Lockerbie summarized the staff recommendation, saying, “The village of Skokie remains steadfast in its commitment to providing safe access to village services and protecting the rights of all who live, work, and visit our community.” The amendment, which the board considered under a motion to suspend the rules and waive second reading, targets the use of village facilities for assembling, mobilizing, deploying vehicles, equipment, materials or personnel for civil immigration enforcement.

The board debated several trustee amendments aimed at making the ordinance both broad enough to be enforceable and specific enough to address community concerns. Trustee Gail Schechter proposed adding language to explicitly include brief rest breaks; after legal staff cautioned that narrowly worded, enumerated activities can create enforcement gaps, the board instead amended the prohibited activities to read in part, “gaining access to, assembling, mobilizing, or deploying vehicles, equipment, materials, or personnel for the purpose of carrying out civil immigration enforcement operations.” That amendment was offered from the floor and approved by roll call prior to final adoption.

Trustees and staff discussed how the ordinance would be implemented in practice. Corporation Counsel Barbara Mangler and Village Manager Lockerbie said the village will prepare signage for village‑owned facilities and that signage, plus reporting protocols, will be rolled out quickly; Lockerbie said the village sign shop aimed to begin production within days. The board repeatedly noted limits on municipal authority: the police department can serve as an advocate, respond to 911 calls and document incidents, but staff and counsel said local officials cannot legally prevent federal agents from acting where a valid criminal warrant exists.

Public comment before and during the ordinance debate focused heavily on recent immigration enforcement activity in the area and on the Oct. 7 antisemitic incident in Shawnee Park. Several residents urged the board for stronger, faster action, including standardized signage for private property and clearer, multilingual “know your rights” materials. Trustee discussion led to administrative directions for the manager to provide sign language to the board for review and to deepen outreach to community partners.

The final roll call on adoption showed all trustees voting aye; the clerk confirmed the ordinance was adopted that night following the board’s unanimous vote. The ordinance text amends Chapter 58, Article 1, Section 58‑8 of the Skokie Village Code and will be published as adopted.

Implementation steps the board discussed include producing standardized signage for village property, expanding outreach and web resources, and coordinating with regional partners and the Illinois Office of Accountability to document incidents and seek remedies when appropriate. The board asked staff to return with final sign language and additional community outreach steps as they are developed.