Statement From Mayor On Protests And ICE In Aurora
Published on October 10, 2025
On Thursday, October 9, the City of Aurora was alerted toa number of ICE sightings throughout the area, inciting panic and fear among residents. This unconstitutional deployment of Federal officers resulted in multiple snatchings of community members, targeting, specifically, our City’s strong and diverse Hispanic population.
As Mayor, I am committed to fighting for our residents against racism and fascism. I utterly condemn the wrongful use of Federal funds to violate the civil rights of our residents. This overarching power grab by the Presidential administration is one that is rooted in intimidation and racial profiling, and I vigorously oppose this in our community.
Our residents continue to remain my top priority. The City of Aurora had previously refrained from putting out a statement about immigration enforcement activities to protect our most vulnerable residents from being targeted. The large presence of ICE officials and deputized bounty hunters in our community, though, has demanded a public response. Yesterday, I marched with community members from downtown Aurora to the site of one of the ICE snatchings to show my support for those whose lives have tragically been affected by these raids.
As your Mayor, I am here for you, and I want you know that you are not alone. The Mayor’s Office is actively working with elected officials at the local, state, and federal level to put together citizen-led patrols that bring awareness to ICE activity, plus coordinating conversations with the families of residents who are detained.
It is also important to note that the Aurora Police Department has not cooperated nor coordinated with immigration enforcement officials, abiding by the Illinois TRUST Act. Despite claims that APD assisted ICE officials in the detention of a resident yesterday, body camera footage clearly shows the opposite. APD officers are not permitted to stop, arrest, search, or detain individuals solely based on their citizenship or immigration status. Our public safety personnel have one mission: to protect and serve the citizens of Aurora. This will not change, even with the enhanced presence of ICE in our community.
I would like to call on residents to continue to exercise your First Amendment right to peacefully protest. Yesterday, we witnessed a resident breaking the window of a moving vehicle, resulting in an arrest to prevent further violence or property damage.Additionally, during a large protest on East New York Street and North Madison Street, protesters put themselves and the public in danger by walking in the roadway, blocking streets, and driving recklessly. These actions required APD to shut the protest down. There were no arrests, no injuries, no property damage, and no tear gas deployed.
To better coordinate with City officials to plan a protest, please visit www.aurora.il.us/MarchApplication. If you plan on protesting, please do so with respect for the safety of others in our community.
Please know that I will never stop working to protect each and everyone of our residents. We have your back, and we are here to both denounce and fight against any form of fascism, militarization, and hate.
Mayor John Laesch