The Elgin City Council is debating an ordinance that would codify Elgin’s existing immigration-related policies, create a municipal ID program and establish a legal defense fund for immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We’re trying to be intentional with this ordinance,” Councilwoman Diana Alfaro said at this week’s council meeting. “We are trying to make sure people who have felt left out, who have been left out, are being included. … (The intent is) to make sure immigrants are heard and seen.”
Alfaro and Councilman Corey Dixon worked with City Attorney Christopher Beck and obtained feedback from the community to develop the proposal, which will be refined and brought back for more discussion at a future meeting in March.
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One goal behind the ordinance is “to clarify what specific conduct by city employees is prohibited because such conduct significantly harms the city’s relationship with immigration communities,” according to city documents.
“There is nothing in this ordinance that’s going to stop ICE. Nothing,” Dixon said. But the idea is not “about stopping ICE,” he said. “It’s about supporting our community members, our neighbors, and doing everything we can in our power to give that support to let the community know we hear you, we don’t like what’s happening.”
If a municipal ID program is implemented, any resident — regardless of national origin or status — could obtain one for a fee, the draft ordinance said. All information provided on the application would remain confidential.
The ordinance would also require the city to establish a defense fund for residents who need legal assistance as a result of immigration enforcement activities. Elgin officials would need to develop a process to identify recipients, identify a qualified nonprofit service provider and administer the fund.
“Those items have money attached to them,” Dixon said. “We would have to figure out as a council how we are going to accomplish whatever we approve.”
Other components deal with economic development, developing a community engagement plan and ensuring there’s a language access plan, which involves providing translation and documents in Spanish and other languages.
Councilwoman Tish Powell said she fully supports the inclusivity aspect of the ordinance but cited what she believed was a critical missing piece.
“I want to make sure our equity framework is not limited to immigration status,” Powell said. “If we are advancing an inclusivity ordinance, we should prioritize equity in a way that is both immigration inclusive and race conscious.”
Elgin needs to “ensure that longstanding disparities affecting both black and brown residents are intentionally addressed,” she said. “If we are codifying inclusivity, let us do so in a way that is comprehensive. This ensures this ordinance is indeed inclusive as well as principled and constructive.”
Councilwoman Rose Martinez said there is fear of the federal government in the community and she worries “something like this will give people a false pretense (of safety),” she said.
She also questioned how much some of the initiatives would cost.
A few council members said it might be easier to break down the ordinance’s components and pass them separately.
“I’m not disputing what we have in front of us,” Councilman Dustin Good said. “The values here are aligned by the majority of the organization. It’s the vehicle that we are using right now; that’s the issue.”
Councilman Steve Thoren put it more plainly. “It’s too much stuff. … As a whole, as big as it is, I certainly can’t support it.”
But Councilman John Steffen countered that point, saying he didn’t understand why the ordinance couldn’t be passed in its entirety since many of the things included are already being done. This would be reinforcing existing policies, he said.
Numerous speakers attended the meeting to voice support for the ordinance. Among them was resident Dianha Ortega-Ehreth.
“The city of Elgin is indeed diverse, and I have experienced your leadership to be open and welcoming for people of all backgrounds and traditions,” said Ortega-Ehreth, who is executive director of Centro de Información but spoke as a private citizen.
“This may be how the city already operates, but having it codified and expanded in this manner is very reassuring to residents like me, who will look to all future city leaders, both elected and not elected, to align their actions with these inclusive values,” she said.
The ordinance is “both symbolic and has important action steps that will move decision-making leadership at the city closer to fuller inclusion and to (make residents) feel that they really are valued and that they do in fact belong here,” she said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
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