Unity Vigil Planned for Bolingbrook: Local Immigrants 'Living in Fear,' Organizers Say

BOLINGBROOK, IL -- Organizers are asking community members to come together in a show of solidarity for immigrants and refugees amid fears of ICE raids and travel bans. The Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project (SSIP) will host a Suburban Interfaith Unity Vigil from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Bolingbrook Town Center, 375 Briarcliff Road.

Immigrants and refugee communities are living in fear, according to SSIP.

"There's a lot of uncertainty -- who's going to be targeted and who's going to be picked up by ICE," said SSIP Director of Organizing Elizabeth Cervantes. Local undocumented immigrants fear being arrested in their homes or workplaces following ICE raids that have led to the arrests in Bolingbrook, Plainfield and throughout the Chicago area.

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President Donald J. Trump's January executive order on immigration, which affected refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, also has the local immigrant population on edge. The travel ban has since been blocked by judges, and appeals attempting to overturn the rulings have been rejected.

"It's turned into a very fearful and very hostile environment," Cervantes said.

The interfaith vigil is aimed at showing support for the diverse population in the Bolingbrook area.

"Over 20 percent percent of Bolingbrook’s population is foreign-born, while more than 32 percent of people speak another language other than English, a clear example of how diverse the suburbs are," SSIP said.

"Given that Bolingbrook is such a diverse place, we thought it was important to address that fear," Cervantes said.

The Feb. 28 event will coincide with a Bolingbrook Village Board Meeting scheduled for 8 p.m.

Cervantes said the group hopes the village will address the fears of local immigrants -- including concerns over a potential conflict between Mayor Roger Claar's support for Trump and his duty to look out for the interests of Bolingbrook residents.

"I think it's really important that he differentiate those two things," she said. The SSIP said the purpose of the vigil is to bring "suburban communities together in unity and to demand that our leaders protect and stand up for the most vulnerable."

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Reached by email, Claar did not say whether he planned to address the concerns of immigrants at Tuesday's meeting, indicating he was not aware of any call for him to do so.

"First I've heard of the request," Claar said.

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As of Friday afternoon, at least 54 people indicated they planned to attend the vigil.

"The suburban interfaith unity vigil is a safe space for all, and all are welcome, from suburbs and communities near, far and wide," SSIP said in a news release regarding the event.