South Cook News

The Village of Orland Park has enacted an ordinance declaring it is "not a sanctuary city." The village has pledged to cooperate with federal officials to the fullest extent amidst the ongoing illegal immigration crisis, which has resulted in thousands of undocumented immigrants being relocated to suburban areas of Chicago.

"We passed an ordinance on January 19th which is summarized here,” Mayor Keith Pekau told South Cook News.

The ordinance passed on Jan. 15 includes sections declaring Orland Park’s non-sanctuary city status, affirming its commitment to comply with federal immigration laws, and pledging full cooperation with federal immigration agencies within legal boundaries.

“The Village of Orland Park hereby declares that it is not a sanctuary city and that it will not adopt any policy or practice that limits cooperation with, or involvement in, the enforcement of federal immigration laws,” the ordinance reads in part.

Mayor Keith Pekau addressed this issue during the Jan. 19 Village of Orland Park Village Board Meeting where the ordinance was approved.

"It seems absolutely nuts that we have to pass an ordinance that we will follow U.S. law," Pekau said at the meeting.

Pekau criticized Illinois and Cook County for enacting laws that contradict federal legislation and expressed frustration at Chicago's request for assistance in violating federal law. He underscored the severity of the U.S. immigration crisis, highlighting the substantial resources being consumed due to illegal immigration, which amount to over $450 billion annually, exceeding half of the national defense budget.

"Here in Illinois, the governor and the mayor of Chicago keep asking the federal government for money. Here in Illinois, we spend over $3.8 billion per year on illegal immigration, housing, medical education, illegal police," Pekau continued.

"This doesn’t even include the over $1 billion on the current immigration and migrant crisis. The governor has issued his 18th 30-day migrant disaster declaration. Does this sound familiar? It sounds like a little like Covid. Endless extensions of his 30-day power not reined in by the Illinois legislature."

Pekau's remarks came as Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson requested assistance from suburban mayors regarding the city’s illegal immigrant crisis.

"He’s asking us all for support, calling out the federal government," Burr Ridge’s Gary Grasso said about Johnson when speaking to NBC Chicago.

Glen Ellyn Village President Mark Senak recently disclosed that his community was offered an $11 million state grant to aid in permanently resettling undocumented immigrants within its boundaries. This revelation was made during the League of Women Voters Glen Ellyn 2024 State of the Village Annual Meeting on Jan. 26. Senak informed attendees that the state had proposed this substantial grant to assist with migrant settlement in Glen Ellyn. The issue was brought to attention by State Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn), who informed the village about the availability of funds for this purpose, as previously reported by DuPage Policy Journal.

Concerns have intensified following reports that over 34,000 undocumented immigrants have arrived in Illinois since mid-2022, amplifying calls for more robust border control measures. Last fall, Illinois allocated $42.5 million in grant money for municipalities to house undocumented immigrants. As of last fall, Lake County, Elgin, Oak Park, Urbana and Chicago had received grant funds from the state to assist with housing and other needs. In total, the state has allocated $500 million for the care of undocumented immigrants, according to Capitol News Illinois.