County Fight Contested

Kane County IL — Operation Midway Blitz, Courthouse Arrests, and Municipal Pushback

Kane County, IL FIPS 17089

Current status: Aurora unanimously bans ICE from city property; St. Charles refuses; state courthouse protection bill passes; sheriff blocked by TRUST Act

Summary

Kane County (FIPS 17089, score 46, igsa:3, anc-contract:2) is a suburban Chicago enforcement hotspot where ICE’s Operation Midway Blitz spilled into courthouse arrests, school-area operations, and a fragmented municipal response. Despite Illinois’ TRUST Act prohibiting local law enforcement from assisting ICE, federal agents operated independently — stationing themselves outside the Kane County Courthouse, staging from city property, and triggering a municipal-by-municipal fight over ICE access to public land. The Motorola Solutions/ICE contract connection adds a surveillance tech dimension.

Key Events

September 2025 — Operation Midway Blitz Reaches Kane County

DHS launched Operation Midway Blitz on September 8, 2025 — a multi-agency surge targeting the Chicago metro area. Federal agents conducted coordinated enforcement across Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties. More than 1,500 immigrants arrested in the broader Chicago area under the operation.

August 14, 2025 — Courthouse Arrests Begin

ICE/HSI/ATF agents arrested Hispanic individuals exiting the Kane County Judicial Center in St. Charles Township. James Yanke, a 57-year-old urgent care physician assistant (Northwestern Medicine) and member of Casa DuPage Rapid Response, went to document the arrests and was arrested himself. This incident drew significant media attention.

September 2025 — Batavia Alert

The City of Batavia officially alerted residents to nearby ICE arrests, an unusual step for a municipality.

November 12, 2025 — Aurora Passes Anti-ICE Ordinance

Aurora City Council unanimously approved an ordinance prohibiting the use of city property for civil immigration enforcement activities without a warrant. Aurora is the second-largest city in Illinois; more than two of five residents are Latino. A committee had heard about 80 minutes of resident input.

November-December 2025 — St. Charles Resistance and Refusal

Residents spent two months urging St. Charles City Council to pass a similar ordinance. Nearly all speakers supported the ban. But in January 2026, Mayor Clint Hull said the city would not enact the measure, calling it “unenforceable.” Kane County Democrats organized a “Keep ICE Out of St. Charles” campaign.

Illinois HB 1312 — Courthouse Protection

Illinois House Bill 1312 passed both chambers, prohibiting civil immigration arrests inside and within 1,000 feet of state courthouses. Violators face statutory damages of $10,000 per incident. This should reduce courthouse-area ICE operations in Kane County.

The TRUST Act Shield

Illinois’ TRUST Act (2017) prohibits local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration enforcement. Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain stated: “We cannot communicate with or support ICE by State law.” However:

Hain acknowledged a deputy’s involvement in an ICE arrest to assist with translation — a gray area
Incoming Sheriff candidate Salvador Rodriguez has pledged non-cooperation
The TRUST Act prevents formal 287(g) agreements but does not prevent ICE from operating independently on public property

Motorola Solutions — The Surveillance Tech Connection

A visitor to the detention pipeline site accessed /entry/motorola-solutions-inc-ice-kane-il-39371926/, pointing to a Motorola/ICE contract registered in Kane County. Key context:

Motorola Solutions HQ: 500 W Monroe St, Chicago, but the company has significant operations in the western suburbs including Kane County
ICE Contract: $15.6 million contract to implement and maintain ICE’s tactical communication infrastructure (Sep 2023 - May 2026, extendable to $28M through 2028)
Vigilant Solutions Acquisition (2019): Motorola acquired VaaS International Holdings (Vigilant Solutions), expanding into license plate recognition (ALPR) technology
ALPR Data to ICE: $22.8 million contract for license plate reader database through 2026, used to surveil immigrants and carry out deportation operations (via Thomson Reuters subsidiary)
Boycott Status: Listed for boycott by AFSC due to documented support of ICE enforcement capacity
EFF Warning (Jan 2026): ICE went on a “surveillance shopping spree” — Motorola infrastructure is part of this

The Kane County contract entry suggests a local procurement nexus, possibly related to tactical communications or ALPR infrastructure used in the Midway Blitz operations.

Community Impact

ICE agents were a “frequent presence” outside the Kane County Courthouse for weeks
ICE used city property and school grounds to stage operations
Two U.S. citizens reported being detained in Aurora in October 2025
Attorney Caroline Hernandez emailed Chief Judge Robert Villa requesting Zoom court appearances be reinstated “particularly those involving people of Latino descent who are now being actively targeted by ICE outside the Kane County courthouse”
Community organizers described “violence, confusion” and “fear” in suburban streets

Municipal Scorecard

Municipality	Action	Status
Aurora	Anti-ICE ordinance (city property)	Passed unanimously Nov 12, 2025
Elgin	Anti-ICE ordinance	Passed
Batavia	Anti-ICE ordinance	Passed
Kane County Board	Anti-ICE resolution	Passed
St. Charles	Anti-ICE ordinance	Refused (Jan 2026)

Why This Matters

Kane County shows the suburban enforcement pattern: ICE operates independently despite state TRUST Act protections, exploits courthouses and public spaces for arrests, and forces a municipality-by-municipality response. The Motorola surveillance tech connection adds a corporate dimension — ALPR data and tactical communications infrastructure enable the enforcement operations. The fragmented municipal response (Aurora yes, St. Charles no) creates enforcement geography even within a single county.

Sources

This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.

Edit Report issue County profile Add a tip about this fight