ICE Rents Office Space In This IL Suburb As 'Secret' Expansion Plans Takes Shape: Report

OAK BROOK, IL — As has been the case in other parts of the country, the Department of Homeland Security has rented out office space in an affluent suburb in the Chicago area as part of an expansion plan that local officials learned about only after ICE agents had moved in. And complaints, also, started rolling in.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are leasing space at 111 W. 2nd Street in Oak Brook, which is also where Lewis University houses some its in-person classes, according to university officials. The presence of ICE led Lewis University officials to move their classes online this past week.

The classes will remain online through the weekend, university officials said.

"In light of social media attention referencing the potential for protests at the site, and the community's concern regarding ICE, we are taking precautionary steps to support a safe, productive, and welcoming learning environment for all," according to an announcement from Lewis University.

Village officials say they first learned of ICE's presence in town through rumors, but then confirmed it when they were called to the West 2nd Street building on Friday for a vandalism complaint, according to Fox 32. ICE is using the space solely for administrative purposes, and there are no detention activities occurring at the site, village president Laurence Herman said.

The eight-story building where ICE, Lewis and many other tenants lease space is located west of Oakbrook Center mall.

The move into the Oak Brook office space, as well as office spaces throughout the U.S., is part of a "secret campaign to expand ICE’s physical presence," Wired.com recently reported. The publication shared dozens of locations where ICE is allegedly leasing space, including the Oak Brook location.

In total, documents show 150 leases planned or in place — many in or near the largest metro areas in the U.S. and in nearly every state, according to Wired.com.

An ICE spokesperson told Patch that the agency does not confirm office locations when reached for comment about a report of ICE potentially moving into a New Jersey office space, citing a steep spike in death threats and assaults against its officers.

ICE said its agents have arrested several people in New Jersey who immigrated to the U.S. illegally and posed “public safety threats,” including suspects convicted of homicide and sexual assault.

“Is it really news that when a federal agency hires more personnel that they need more space?” a spokesperson asked Patch. “Thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country. That’s a 120 percent increase in our workforce.”

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