WHEATON (WBBM Newsradio) -- The person in charge of elections in DuPage County is sounding an alarm about the potential for ICE agents to disrupt voting in this month's primary elections.
DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek says she's heard concerns from rapid response volunteers about increased ICE activity, and with voters now casting ballots ahead of the March 17th primary, she's warning federal agents that it's against the law for them, or anyone, to interfere with elections or polling places.
"Those crimes will not be tolerated in DuPage County. Not on my watch," Kaczmarek said during an appearance Monday at the clerk's office, 401 N. County Farm Rd. "ICE: Go away. Do not even try. You will fail."
She's also set up a hotline for people to call with reports of ICE agents around polling places, saying her office will engage with volunteers and on social media to encourage voters to visit other precincts.
"Any incidence of interference or intimidation by ICE or other federal agents will be fully documented and forwarded to all appropriate legal authorities," Kaczmarek added, though she later acknowledged she had not discussed enforcement with the offices of Sheriff James Mendrick, himself a Republican candidate for Illinois governor, or State's Attorney Robert Berlin.
A spokesperson for Berlin's office told WBBM Newsradio their focus continues to be on "fair and free" elections, and that they'll have investigators standing by to investigate allegations of election law violations.
Kaczmarek said she hoped her office would be able to notify prospective voters about any potential ICE interference, so they could vote at one of the county's other polling places.
"We were the first county in Illinois to implement vote anywhere on Election Day," she said, noting that the county is set up to handle concerns about specific polling places. "Voters may choose to vote at any polling place."
But she said she's heard no specific reports of plans for ICE agents to target polling places in the county, and said she hoped her announcement would help convince federal authorities that focusing on voting precincts would be "hopeless."
A spokesperson for Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon told WBBM Newsradio they hadn't heard anything specific about potential ICE activity, but they're monitoring the situation.
The DuPage County polling place ICE reporting hotline is 630.407.5634.