Federal immigration agents will now need a judicial warrant to enter buildings controlled by Champaign County.
Champaign County Executive Steve Summers announced the new executive order on Tuesday.
County board member Matt Sullard suggested the idea in the fall.
“Since that time, we’ve seen families separated, children used as bait and American citizens murdered in the streets, all against the backdrop of repeated lies from the Trump administration to cover up their terrorizing and unconstitutional behavior,” he said.
If immigration agents do have a warrant, the order requires them to take off any face coverings and display their official badges. Sullard said that was a commonsense requirement to ensure they can be held accountable if they do not follow the law.
The order comes as the Trump administration says it is wrapping up its immigration campaign in Minneapolis and claims it has made the community safer. Since December, federal agents detained a five-year-old to target his father, fatally shot two U-S citizens, and shot a middle-aged Venezuelan man in the leg.
Francisco Baires is the director of the New American Welcome Center, which helps immigrants with citizenship paperwork and finding housing. Speaking at the Bennett Center, he says the order should be a model for other local leaders.
“We have heard stories of people afraid to do go get groceries. So what I would do is extrapolate from that if they’re afraid to go to their local tiendita, then I’m imagining they’d be afraid to go to a county building like this, which is a great building, but it’s still official.”
The order covers the offices of the Champaign County coroner, animal control, highway department and county clerk.
It does not cover the courthouse or jail, which fall under the county sheriff’s control.