Landscaping equipment left unattended, some in the street at Jonquil and Nottingham in Niles, after ICE agents took at least three people into custody Monday. (Photo submitted)

Federal immigration enforcement activity has been reported in Niles this week, according to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) and witness accounts.

Brandon Lee, director of communications for the ICIRR, told reporters Wednesday that Niles has been a busy spot for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.

The enforcement began Monday, when federal agents reportedly detained at least two landscapers and chased a third near Jonquil Terrace and Nottingham, according to Lee and independent sources.

One neighbor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she heard the familiar sound of lawnmowers abruptly stop around 10 a.m. Monday. When she went outside, she saw equipment static, with some mowers left in the street.

A woman told reporters she witnessed the entire interaction, with men wearing vests that said “Border Patrol” and driving an unmarked Jeep SUV with non-governmental Florida license plates. 

Those agents took three men into custody. She said one man, who was sitting in the cab of the landscaping truck, offered ICE officers an ID of some kind, which they examined. One of the ICE agents then said, “Take him in.” The man was then taken into custody while protesting, saying he had given documentation. A neighbor later contacted the landscaping company.  

Another woman told a neighbor she witnessed at least two men taken into ICE custody peacefully, while a third man ran and was pursued by agents. She said she did not know if the third man was detained. The incident was reportedly over by 10:30 a.m.

Another man who arrived at the scene around 10:45 a.m. saw the equipment scattered in the street and on the sidewalk and said neighbors relayed a similar account. Lee said ICIRR officials sent a team to the intersection after receiving a report around 11 a.m. Monday.

Sources said the incident did not take place inside the nearby Kirk Lane Park, but was close to it. Niles Park District Executive Director Tom Elenz said the district does not use contractors for park maintenance, relying only on park district staff.

Reporters also received witness accounts of ICE activity in other locations:

ICE agents took a man into custody outside the Home Depot on Dempster Street in Niles Wednesday.

At the Civic Center Plaza Home Depot, Lee said an ICIRR team responded to the location at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, and found that ICE had taken one person into custody.

At Cleveland Street and Marmora Avenue, an ICIRR team responded at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and found landscaping equipment left unattended, which Lee suspected was from workers fleeing ICE officers.

A manager at BBJ Linens said ICE officers, described as wearing green uniforms and masks, took a woman walking from a nearby Costco into custody as she cut across the business’s parking lot. The manager said he saw agents leaving in two SUVs shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, but said that they did not attempt to enter the BBJ building. Lee said an ICIRR team dispatched to the location found nothing upon arrival.

A masked ICE officer walks in the parking lot of the Home Depot on Dempster Street in Niles on Wednesday.

At the Dempster Street Home Depot, videos showed men in uniforms and masks, appearing to be ICE agents, taking at least one man into custody Wednesday afternoon. Lee said he had no reports of complaints from this location.

Lee said the ICIRR has received numerous reports of ICE activity along Milwaukee Avenue from Chicago to Waukegan within the last week.

Niles Deputy Police Chief Thomas Fragassi said local police were not made aware of any incidents involving ICE over the past week. The Illinois Trust Act prohibits local law enforcement from coordinating with federal officers on issues dealing only with immigration.

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