Ahead of a potential National Guard deployment to Chicago and sweeping raids from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the greater area, the Evanston City Council is moving forward with plans to pass a largely symbolic resolution to ban law enforcement agents from wearing masks while on the job.

The city’s Human Rights Committee unanimously passed a resolution at its Sept. 2 meeting to encourage the U.S. Congress and Illinois General Assembly to prohibit law enforcement officials from concealing their identities. The committee, made up of five City Councilmembers, also passed an ordinance to increase the penalty for those impersonating law officers, doubling the city’s $750 civil penalty and adding a proposed six-month prison sentence — on top of the state’s $25,000 fine and prison time.

Both measures sailed through the city’s committee with little debate or comment from the City Councilmembers.

“I think it’s pretty straightforward,” 8th Ward City Councilmember Matt Rodgers said of the proposed boosted penalty for law enforcement impersonators. Both measures are expected to be on the agenda for the Sept. 8 City Council meeting, according to Community Engagement and Communications Manager Cynthia Vargas. The City Council can pass the resolution the same night, but will need to give the ordinance a second reading at the Sept. 29 City Council meeting, she said.

In Chicago and across the nation, ICE and other federal agencies have worn masks covering much of their faces, wearing plain clothes and not giving out their names as they have detained and arrested people accused of being in the country illegally. Federal officials say the practice is done to ensure the agents’ safety and prevent their personal information from becoming public.

“The current federal administration, which aims to instill fear in our communities, has recently deployed federal agents wearing masks and civilian clothing, without name tags or badges and traveling in unmarked vehicles, to make arrests and conduct immigration enforcement operations across the country, including in Illinois and the Chicago area,” the city’s proposed resolution reads.

“These attempts by federal agents to conceal their identities as they snatch people from streets, homes, workplaces and courthouses have the effect of terrorizing our communities rather than protecting them, and raise serious concerns about accountability and due process,” the resolution states.

The resolution goes as far as to say ICE arrests made by masked federal agents is an “abduction” and “erodes trust between the community and local law enforcement.”

The city’s communication team released a statement following the meeting in support of both measures. “The city firmly opposes anonymous enforcement tactics, emphasizing the urgent need for increased transparency and communication between federal law enforcement and communities. By advocating for these changes, Evanston seeks to foster a climate of trust, ensuring that the rights and dignity of all individuals are upheld during all law enforcement operations.”

A week before Evanston City Councilmembers voted on both measures, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order banning law enforcement agents from wearing masks. How effective that will be remains to be seen, as federal agents report to the federal government.

In the last year the Evanston City Council approved strengthening its Welcoming City Ordinance to prevent local authorities from collaborating with federal agencies on civil arrests. In the last week, the city’s staff terminated its contract with its automatic license plate reader provider, after Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced that Illinois’ drivers’ data was accessible to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/03/evanston-ban-masks-on-ice-agents/