West Cook News

River Forest village leaders were emphatic in 2017. If illegal aliens ever came to their town, they would roll out the red carpet for them.

“(Illegal aliens) are part of the backbone of our society, a part of the diversity that makes this country stronger,” said Stacey Williams, a then-recently elected District 90 School Board member who led the charge there to pass a so-called “Welcoming Resolution”

The resolution promised illegal alien children that they could attend River Forest schools at no charge, at River Forest taxpayer expense, without fear of deportation to their country of origin.

Williams went further, encouraging the Village of River Forest to pass its own resolution. It promised city services to illegal aliens, free of charge, and without the requirement they be village residents.

It also assured illegal aliens committing crimes in River Forest that they wouldn’t be asked about their citizenship, nor would they be held by village police for deportation, in the case there was an existing warrant for their arrest.

"The policy of the Village is that all Village employees and officials shall continue to serve all individuals and make Village services accessible to all, regardless of their (legal citizenship)," the resolution reads, adding that village employees would be barred from depriving illegal aliens of "village benefits, opportunities or services."

But that was then.

Now that tens of thousands of illegal aliens have actually arrived in the Chicago area, and are homeless, actively looking for communities to take them in, River Forest village officials and the residents have been decidedly less vocal.

When, last month, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker offered $41.5 million in state taxpayer-funded grants to villages who would agree to house illegal aliens, River Forest didn’t sign up.

Oak Park did, but only barely, accepting $150,000, versus $30.25 million for Chicago.

The Village of Oak Park, Oak Park and River Forest School District 200 and Oak Park Elementary School District 97 all passed resolutions "welcoming" illegal aliens to the town, similar to River Forest's in 2017.

Public parks, Universities, Homes?

Amundsen Park, the largest in Chicago's Galewood neighborhood, adjacent to Oak Park, is slated to be shut down, used instead to house "500 to 1,000" illegal aliens across its 16 acres and field house.

Amundsen Park is just one mile north of Taylor Park, Oak Park's largest park, which features newly renovated tennis courts and a playground for children.

Despite its three welcoming resolutions, Oak Park Village officials have yet to offer up Taylor Park as a home site to illegal aliens.

Fulfilling the promises made in its resolution, the Village of River Forest has one large park-- Keystone, which has baseball fields, paddle tennis courts, two playgrounds for children and access to a Metra stop-- and a close relationship with Dominican University, located in the village.

Dominican has a gymnasium and dormitories, currently used by students, that could be used instead to house illegal aliens looking for free shelter.

In Oct. 2020, the village of River Forest "approved a mutually beneficial partnership" with Dominican, which commited to "assist" it in "creating a community committed to racial and social justice," including for illegal aliens.

Dominican President Donna Carroll spoke out publicly in favor of the village's illegal alien "welcoming" resolution, which she said would "affirm the beauty in spirit and openness of mind that are hallmarks of a healthy, democratic community."

"Thank you for your attention to this important issue," Carroll said.

An alternative to parks and university facilities would be River Forest residents inviting illegal aliens to live in their own homes.

The concept isn't unprecedented.

Through a non-profit, Maine is paying "homeowners who have an extra room" to host illegal aliens. And sources tell West Cook News that the city of Chicago is currently offering grants to city homeowners who will agree to do the same.

Many of the River Forest residents who have been most outspoken in favor of inviting illegal aliens to town have some of the largest houses, with seemingly at least some extra space to spare.

Williams' home at 1105 Franklin in River Forest is 5,400 square feet, according to Redfin.com, including six bedrooms and six baths.

The home of Ralph Martire, 1028 Monroe, which has a sign in its yard professing his position on "welcoming" illegal aliens, is 3,165 square feet and has four bedrooms. 

Margot and Trevor Toppen, who organized a petition in support of the River Forest "welcoming" resolution that, they said, garnered the signatures of 549 village residents, live at 806 Clinton Place. Their six bedroom, four bath home is 5,355 square feet. It also has a three car garage and an outdoor jacuzzi .

Other River Forest homeowners who professed public support of the illegal alien welcoming resolution include Amalia Rioja (740 Ashland Ave.), Christine and Farzad Khaledan (1139 Keystone Ave.), Allison McConnell (726 William St.), Maurine Hinterberger (322 Park Ave.), Sara Mirza (7900 Greenfield Ave.), Elysia and Nathan Root (747 William St.), Jacquelyn Fields-Kohn and Andrew Kohn (550 Edgewood Pl.), Brett and Melissa Lutz (615 Thatcher), John and Cristin Duffy (559 Franklin Ave.), Padmavati & T.K. Venkatesan (519 William), Arthur G. Lawrence (522 Jackson Ave.), Keith and Colleen Weiler (707 Keystone Ave.), Sonia and Colby Green (838 Park Ave.), Craig L. Silverman and Shelley L Dunck (1307 Monroe Ave.), Casey Sullivan and Daniel McDonnell (714 Ashland Ave.), Heather and Jonathan Wols (815 Clinton Pl.), former Chicago Tribune reporter Robert Secter and Marita Hernandez (235 Ashland Ave.), Edward T. Ozga (538 Park Ave.), Dirk Eddelbuettel and Lisa M. Powell (711 Monroe Ave.), Rebecca and Matthew Becker (629 Park Ave.), Victoria Yeisley and Sean Milligan (625 Ashland Ave.), Brian and Heather Zomchek (107 Ashland Ave.), Jean and Barry Schub (819 Park Ave.), John P. Comny, III and Diane Conmy (23 Keystone Ave.), Cathleen Buckley and Garrett J. Olson (339 Keystone Ave.), Ann D. Carlson (835 Keystone Ave.), George Watts (730 William St.), Melissa Diglio and Dennis Healy (942 Forest Ave.), Mary and Barton Dring (328 Franklin Ave.), Charles and Claire Trainor (606 Park Ave.), Teresa and Derrick Peavy (13 Ashland Ave.), Jeffrey Missman and Anna Kamysz (24 Ashland Ave.), Stacy and Thomas Drake (40 Ashland Ave.) and Jonathan Marcus and Lorraine Applebey (535 Forest Ave.).