Trump Administration Sues Chicago Over Sanctuary Laws

The Trump administration has filed suit against the state of Illinois, Cook County and the city of Chicago, arguing their sanctuary laws “interfere” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s ability to arrest and deport illegal migrants — the first of many such lawsuits to come, Justice Department officials said.

“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,” a DOJ official said.

The Illinois Trust Act, signed into law in 2017, reads in part that “State law does not currently grant State or local law enforcement the authority to enforce federal civil immigration laws.”

Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance, passed in 2012 by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, includes even more emphatic language, stating, “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,” among other provisions.

According to the suit, the local laws contradict federal laws that “prohibit state and local governments from refusing to share information,” as well as “restrict local governments from sharing immigration information with federal law enforcement officials,” which it claims prevents ICE and the Department of Homeland Security from identifying “individuals who may be subject to removal.”

The suit also notes that the named jurisdictions “refuse to cooperate with detainers,” adding, “so instead of handing over people who are in prison or in jail to federal immigration authorities they will just let folks go.”

The official goes on to call the ongoing illegal immigration crackdown “an all-hands-on-deck approach” to supporting President Trump’s immigration priorities, adding that the lawsuit itself is “one tool in our toolbelt” to ensuring the laws are enforced.

“For too long, leaders in Illinois and Chicago have abused their power by putting the comfort of illegal aliens over the safety and welfare of their own citizens. 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,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

It is clear that the Trump administration will do everything it can to stop left leaning cities from helping illegal aliens escape arrest.