Several detained in HSI operation at Elk Grove Village warehouse: Cook County commissioner
Protesters nearby voiced frustration: 'They need to have due process'
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (WLS) -- Residents and local elected officials said it was unsettling to see a Homeland Security Investigations operation unfold Friday at a warehouse in Elk Grove Village.
Video from witnesses nearby the facility near Busse Road shows federal agents going into the warehouse for an undisclosed operation.
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That building is operated by Accelerated Global Operations and SpeedX.
"The manager told me everyone at that location has a worker's permit. To my understanding, everyone who was detained was detained solely based on not having a physical copy of their work permit on their person today," said Kevin Morrison, Cook County commissioner for the 15th District.
Morrison says he arrived after employees were detained.
He says the manager of Accelerated Global Solutions told him that a few employees were walked out, but witnesses nearby say there were actually more than a dozen people taken into custody.
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Elk Grove Village police said HSI told them about 11:30 a.m. that they would be conducting operations at 2701 Busse Road.
"They did not specify the nature of their operations and did not request our assistance," police said.
The operation ended around 1:50 p.m., police said.
Neither the businesses nor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately responded to requests for more details.
"These are families being torn apart. We have no idea the type of process they're gonna receive. We've seen so many people deported without having a hearing or a day in court, which goes directly against our constitution," Morrison said.
Just hours after that, residents down the road shared growing concerns about these operations across the country.
"I think they need to have due process, and we need to make sure we have the checks and balances. That's what separates us from so many other countries is that we have rights," Barrington resident Wendy Wittkamp said.
"I'm the son of immigrants. Honestly, living in fear is the norm for us, and it has been for decades. But, it has changed fundamentally over the last months, and it's just devastating," said Jesse Rojo, chair of Illinois Veterans for Change.
The Cook County commissioner said the warehouses have been subject to some routine checks from the Department of Homeland Security in recent weeks.
