At a press conference Monday afternoon at Constitution Court on Madison Street, Mayor Rory Hoskins addressed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and what he called its “poorly trained” agents who are “shattering constitutional norms” while causing “irreparable damage” to Forest Park and its neighboring communities.
Hoskins was backed by Betty Alzamora, a park district commissioner and immigration advocate. She explained the rights every person in Forest Park has as they confront ICE and border patrol agents.
“All people, regardless of immigration status have rights,” Alzamora said. She added that it is the job of ordinary citizens to “document, protect and bear witness” to the actions of the federal deportation effort.
The press conference was put on after increased ICE activity in the Chicagoland area and an incident on Oct. 7 at Forest Park’s Concordia Cemetery. Three cemetery employees attended the press conference.
The afternoon of Oct. 7, ICE agents came to the private grounds of Concordia Cemetery. According to reports, ICE told four cemetery employees who were there legally with their employer’s consent to open a gate so agents could pursue a man in the Des Plaines River, who the cemetery employees attempted to rescue. ICE then unlawfully assaulted and detained the workers for five hours, later releasing them without charges.
Hoskins visited the ICE detention center in Broadview for the first time on Oct. 10 following the assault on the four workers in Forest Park by about 18 ICE agents.
“They entered the cemetery’s restricted area,” Hoskins said about ICE in a video at the Broadview facility that was posted to Facebook. “They were instructed by the workers that they were on private property. Rather than letting the workers call their boss and get permission to let the federal agents enter, they forced their way onto the property . . . Their rights were clearly violated.”
Hoskins said that, once ICE gained access to the cemetery, they detained workers with zip ties for hours and subjected to excessive physical force, including the use of pepper balls. Three of the workers were taken to a Homeland Security Investigations facility in Lombard, and one was taken to the hospital.
“What happened this week was egregious,” Hoskins said in the Oct. 10 video. “One of the worst details I’ve heard is that the federal officers actually tried to delete their phone images. These men videotaped the abuse, and the federal officers tried to delete the video of it.”
“They were fingerprinted prior to being released. They were brutalized. They were intentionally pepper sprayed,” Hoskins told the Review after speaking with three of the workers. “They described the ICE agents as unprofessional. Most of the agents were masked.”
Hoskins said the village is helping the workers find legal representation.
The Village of Forest Park also released a statement on Oct. 9 detailing its commitment to the community at a time when federal agents are attacking people in the Chicagoland area.
“The village’s focus remains on the well-being of everyone involved and on maintaining trust between residents, workers and all levels of public safety agencies. Forest Park has always taken pride in being a community that looks out for one another, especially in moments of uncertainty,” officials said in the statement. “We support continued coordination among all responding entities and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that every situation is handled with compassion, professionalism and respect.”
According to Hoskins, the village is exploring ways to support Know Your Rights training events.
At the Oct. 10 protest in Broadview, Hoskins said peaceful protesters were surrounded by law enforcement with helicopters overhead. He added that federal agents filmed the protesters.
“It seems like there’s an effort to intimidate, and that’s something we’re going to demand ends,” Hoskins said.
This is a developing story and will be updated as the Forest Park Review uncovers more information.