In the wake of the August 3rd El Paso mass shooting as well as the other acts of mass violence we continue to see around the United States, Sheriff John Idleburg, along with the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force, wish to remind Lake County we are here for everyone, whether you reside in Lake County or are visiting.  For these reasons, Sheriff Idleburg supported and signed the attached open letter to our immigrant communities.  

Sheriff John Idleburg added:

“A significant pillar of being able to effectively keep our community safe is having the trust of those we serve.  I believe the Lake County Sheriff’s Office has a great reputation in our community and that’s largely because of the excellent personnel we have on staff.  Even though we have earned the trust of most in our community, a large amount of concern exists in our immigrant communities.  

These concerns consist of fears of reporting crimes, coming forward as a crime victim, and coming forward as a witness of a crime, primarily because of the fear of being arrested due to immigration status.

There is a significant amount of confusion which exists regarding our role in immigration enforcement and deportations.  The job of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is to keep our community safe.  We accomplish this by enforcing only Illinois State Law and Lake County Ordinance.  We do not enforce federal laws, including federal immigration laws.  Our efforts need to be focused on our local community, we have no desire or resources to enforce federal immigration laws.  We need our immigrant communities to trust us in order for us to effectively do our jobs of keeping people safe.

It is not possible to end the repeated violence we continue to see if our community lives in fear of speaking with us.  I can’t say it any louder or with any more emphasis: IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!  

We are here for you Lake County, whether you’ve lived here your entire life, or recently immigrated here – we are here to serve you.”