The La Grange Village Board unanimously adopted a Welcoming Community ordinance that prohibits federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement from using village property in conducting civil immigration enforcement actions.

“Our specific ordinance was drafted with the assistance of the village manager, the village attorney, and the police chief,” village President Mark Kuchler said before the Feb. 9 vote, noting similar ordinances have been adopted by other municipalities throughout the region.

Trustee Lou Gale said his support for the ordinance reflected the will of La Grange residents.

“It seems there’s overwhelming community support for this ordinance, so I’m supportive of it.”

The vote came after La Grange residents came to the Village Board proposing the Welcoming Community ordinance at its previous meeting.

Mike Waters, a 40-year resident of La Grange and member of progressive advocacy group Indivisible, urged the Village Board to take action to protect immigrants.

“We watched in dismay as federal immigration agents terrorized Chicago and its suburbs in Operation Midway Blitz this past fall,” he told the Board at its Jan. 26 meeting. “And we’re watching in horror now as the Department of Homeland Security wages war on the Twin Cities. Protestors are being executed while exercising their constitutional right to record the violence brought by ICE agents. Children are being snatched and used as pawns, families are being torn apart, U.S. citizens are being dragged from their homes and detained. You see this and think this is something that can’t be happening in America, but it is.”

Waters said that with speculation that ICE operations would resume in Chicago this spring, it was time for La Grange to take action.

“So in response to this reality, we are asking the Village Board to adopt an ordinance declaring La Grange to be a welcoming community,” he said.

Waters said that the ordinance would “prohibit the use of municipal property and resources for immigration enforcement activities, including staging and operations.”

Resident Jim Longino, who has lived in La Grange for 30 years, echoed Waters’ sentiments.

“I’m here to request support for creating a welcoming, ICE-free zone in La Grange,” he said. “This request is to protect all individuals while here in La Grange from the witnessed, excessive violations of brutality the federal government — ICE civil enforcement actions.”

Another resident, Jonathon Robinson, also urged the board to put an actual ordinance on a welcoming community ordinance on its agenda to be voted on.

Kuchler addressed the issue during his president’s report.

“I try very hard to avoid national incidents, or to get involved in commenting on national politics and even state politics, even county politics, trying to keep the focus on La Grange as best as possible,” Kuchler said. “I’m personally very shook by two murders happening in Minneapolis and having a real difficult time remaining quiet. When that is occurring without any reflection that it’s going to stop, there’s going to be any change. It doesn’t seem that that’s the way it’s moving.”

Kuchler also expressed concern about what he said were reports of the constitutionally questionable practice of entering residences without a warrant, saying “that strikes me as completely wrong.”

“We as a Board need to come together where we’re comfortable, with the understanding that we have a very limited role in this regard,” he said.

Gale drew applause from the audience at the meeting, saying the issue “has landed on our doorstep and therefore we can’t ignore it. I would like to direct staff to draft up a version of a welcoming ordinance that we could consider.”

Board member Beth Augustine referred to the shootings in Minnesota, and said since then, “it has gotten so much more worse. It is certainly hard to sleep at night. It seems very reasonable to put an ordinance like this in place.”

Contacted later, Waters said Indivisible West Suburban Chicago is a volunteer group of 2,500 which operates primarily in La Grange, La Grange Park, Western Springs, and Brookfield.

“Much of our focus is resisting the Trump administration’s agenda,” he said. “We do that in a number of ways.”

Among them was an “impromptu vigil and silent march in honor of Renee Good,” after she was shot and killed by federal agents in Minnesota.

“We had 850 people who gathered in downtown La Grange on less than 48 hours notice,” Waters said.

Waters said the group was urging people to call Illinois Senators to urge them to vote against any appropriations bill for DHS that does not include significant restraints on ICE activities.

He said the welcoming ordinance Indivisible was supporting would be symbolic but also help the community protect people.

“That would prohibit them, for example, staging on Village property,” Waters said. “There are a number of suburbs that have adopted that kind of anti-ICE ordinance. We’re also asking the Village to build in some protections for immigrants who live or work in La Grange. … We would direct Village staff to not request or disclose information about residents’ immigration status, or citizenship status.”

Waters listed Villa Park, Batavia, Berwyn, Carpentersville, Evanston, and Skokie as municipalities who’ve enacted some type of welcoming community ordinance.

“La Grange is not blazing any new trail here,” he said. “We’re asking them to do what a number of suburbs have done, and what more and more are doing.”

Waters said that Indivisible’s goal was to get protections for undocumented residents as well as those here legally.

“We believe the village has the right to adopt these measures,” he said. “A number of suburbs already have done this. I’m not aware of any legal challenges to any of those.”

Waters said that he had no trouble deporting undocumented people who committed crimes.

“I don’t know anyone who opposes the notion of deporting undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes,” he said. “But that’s not what’s happening here, that’s not what’s happening in America.”

Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press. 

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/10/lagrange-adopts-welcoming-ordinance/