A key meeting of the Cook County Board’s Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee has been postponed. The hearing was scheduled for this Thursday morning and was to hold public hearings on the controversial ordinance which effectively bars Cook County from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers. The hearing would have paved the way to a vote by the full Commission next week. By postponing the hearing, it will be weeks before a vote on the ordinance will be held.
The Chairman of the Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee is Larry Suffredin, who’s district includes the 49th and 50th Ward as well as most North Shore suburbs.
In response to the case of Saul Chavez, an illegal alien accused of vehicular homicide that recently went on the lam, all the Republican members, along with Commissioner John Daley, introduced an amendment to the ordinance.
On September 7th, 2011, the Cook County Board passed, on mostly a party line vote, an ordinance which would bar Cook County jail from cooperating with ICE detainers unless ICE paid the County for the cost of holding inmates. An ICE detainer is hold, up to two business days, that ICE places on municipal inmates that it flags for immigration violations. By placing that hold, inmates that would normally be released, either because their sentence has ended or because they’ve posted bond, are held for ICE to pick up, so that they can face immigration charges. According to the ordinance, ICE agents aren’t even allowed in the jail.
Saul Chavez already had a drunk driving conviction, when according to a police report, he was inebriated last June and hit a pedestrian, Denny McGann, with his 2002 Dodge Neon. When attempting to flee, he dragged McGann two hundred feet. McGann died shortly thereafter. Chavez was arrested at the scene.
Immediately, ICE placed a detainer on Chavez. Chavez is accused of being in the USA illegally. In November, Chavez’ family was able to post bond. Because Cook County no longer cooperated with detainers, Chavez was released. He missed his next court date. Chavez was the most recent black eye on this ordinance. Several illegal aliens accused of assaulting police officers were also released.
As such, at the last Cook County Board meeting, an amendment to the ordinance was introduced by the four Republicans on the board along with John Daley. According to the language of the ordinance, rather than no longer comply with all ICE detainers, the amendment would give Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart discretion whether to deny compliance with ICE detainers on a case by case basis. For any inmate charged with a felony, compliance would be mandatory and ICE agents would be allowed back in to Cook County jail.
Commissioner Liz Gorman attempted to force a vote at the last meeting but the largely Democratic Board instead moved to pass the amendment along to the Legislative and Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Commissioners had said that they wanted all stakeholders: The Cook County Sheriff, ICE, and community activists, a chance to testify before a vote was held. Gorman pointed out that the ordinance passed without heading to committee.
Commissioner Suffredin’s office says the meeting scheduled for Thursday had to be postponed because a quorom couldn’t be produced. Suffredin’s office says no make up date has been set, but hopes to hold a hearing within the next few weeks. A vote on the amendment would only occur after this meeting is held.
This committee is a committee of the whole, which means all seventeen members are on the committee. A quorom is nine or more members. John Fritchey, who’s district includes Ravenswood is the vice chair of this committee. Fritchey voted in favor of the ordinance when it first came up for a vote.
Related posts:
- Immigration Debate Comes to the Cook County Board
- County Board considers and rejects ban on tweeting
- Fritchey named to joint city-county board
- Transparency proposal sent to county committee
