The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against the state of Illinois, Cook County, and the city of Chicago, claiming their sanctuary laws “interfere” with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s efforts to arrest and deport undocumented migrants. According to officials from the Justice Department, this lawsuit is the first in a series of legal actions aimed at challenging sanctuary policies.
The lawsuit specifically targets state and local regulations that, according to the Justice Department, hinder the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws in the United States. A DOJ official explained, “We’ve identified Illinois, the city of Chicago and Cook County as all having laws and ordinances on the books that impede federal immigration enforcement, in particular the Chicago Welcoming ordinance, the Illinois Trust Act.”
Both ordinances cited in the lawsuit directly limit federal immigration officials’ authority. The Illinois Trust Act, which became law in 2017, states that “State law does not currently grant State or local law enforcement the authority to enforce federal civil immigration laws.” The Chicago Welcoming City ordinance, enacted in 2012 under then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, goes further by specifying, “No agency or agent shall: arrest, detain or continue to detain a person solely on the belief that the person is not present legally in the United States.”
The lawsuit argues that these local laws conflict with federal regulations that mandate state and local governments to share information with federal authorities. The DOJ claims that these sanctuary policies prevent ICE and the Department of Homeland Security from identifying “individuals who may be subject to removal.” The suit also highlights that the affected jurisdictions “refuse to cooperate with detainers,” noting that instead of handing over detainees to federal authorities, they release individuals who may be in the country illegally.
An official emphasized that the ongoing efforts to tackle illegal immigration represent a comprehensive strategy to support President Trump’s immigration priorities, and the lawsuit is an important part of this approach. “This lawsuit will put the spotlight on obstruction by state and local officials and their refusal to support the administration and compliance with the law,” the official remarked, adding that the case might ultimately reach the Supreme Court. They further stated, “These states and localities advertise themselves as sanctuary jurisdictions. They are inviting people here who are illegal, and they’re promising to protect them from federal law enforcement.”
The official reiterated that the sanctuary laws are “inconsistent with federal law” and “impeding federal law enforcement efforts,” and called for these laws to be removed because they encourage illegal immigration into the United States.
A second Justice Department official noted that the timing of the lawsuit, which coincided with Pam Bondi’s first day as Attorney General, was “no coincidence.” “She is right out of the gate sending a clear message to other sanctuary jurisdictions,” the official added. Bondi, in turn, issued a warning to other sanctuary cities, stating, “you will be next.” In a statement to The NY Post, Bondi criticized Illinois and Chicago leaders for prioritizing the comfort of undocumented immigrants over the safety of citizens, declaring, “This ends today. The Department of Justice will no longer stand by as state and local leaders obstruct federal law enforcement efforts, endangering their citizens and the brave men and women in uniform.”
Bondi also emphasized, “If you are a leader of a state or local jurisdiction that obstructs or impedes federal law enforcement, you will be next.”
The Justice official confirmed that the department is preparing for more legal challenges in the future, warning, “I don’t think this will be the last one that we file.”
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has been a vocal critic of sanctuary cities, particularly targeting Chicago for its efforts to shield individuals from federal law. “Sanctuary cities are making it very difficult to arrest criminals. For instance, Chicago, very well-educated, they’ve been educated … how to defy ICE, how to hide from ICE,” he said during an interview with CNN. “They call it ‘Know Your Rights.’ I call it ‘how to escape arrest.’ There’s a warrant for your arrest — they tell you how to hide from ICE,” he added.

{Matzav.com}