Will County prohibits use of its property for immigration enforcement staging

Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant on Friday issued an executive order prohibiting the use of county-owned property for serving as a staging area or operations base for federal immigration enforcement.

The executive order was designed to clarify how county government will respond to increased federal immigration actions.

“I am deeply concerned about reports I am receiving about federal immigration activity occurring locally and tactics causing fear throughout the community,” Bertino-Tarrant said in a statement. “… All people should be safe in their neighborhoods and supported in their community.”

Under the executive order, county-owned properties under the control of the executive’s office will be prohibited from serving as staging areas for federal immigration operations such as assembling, mobilizing or deploying vehicles. This includes buildings, parking lots, vacant lots or garages under the executive’s office, the order said.

Some of the county buildings under this order include the county office building in Joliet, the health department, animal protection services, the Sunny Hill Nursing Home and the Children’s Advocacy Center, among others, said Mike Theodore, spokesman for the executive’s office.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/18/will-county-immigration-enforcement-ban/