Saying Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other elected officials in Illinois are all but turning criminals loose on the streets of Chicago and other cities throughout the state, the Trump administration has asked a federal court to block the so-called "Sanctuary" laws and ordinances the federal government asserted the state and local governments are using to protect criminal illegal immigrants and interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
On Feb. 6, the U.S. Justice Department filed suit in Chicago federal court against the state of Illinois, Cook County and the city of Chicago.
"The challenged provisions of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County law have the purpose and effect of making it more difficult for, and deliberately impeding, federal immigration officers’ ability to carry out their responsibilities in those jurisdictions," the Justice Department said in its complaint.
"These provisions intentionally obstruct the sharing of information envisioned by Congress, including basic information such as release dates and custodial status, thereby impairing federal detention of removable aliens, including dangerous criminals, as required by federal law; they further purport to direct federal officials to procure criminal arrest warrants in order to take custody of removable aliens, even though Congress has made an explicit policy choice that such removals can be effectuated by civil arrest warrants for immigration enforcement;
"And they facilitate the release of dangerous criminals into the community by directing local employees to refuse to transfer such aliens to federal officials in a secure environment - thereby resulting in their release onto the streets, where they all too often reoffend and commit serious crimes," the Justice Department said.
The complaint comes the day after the U.S. Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as the country's new Attorney General.
In a statement, Bondi said: "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 lawsuit seeks injunctions against Illinois, Cook County and Chicago and its officials, preventing them from continuing to enforce provisions of state law and local ordinances that prohibit officials from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement officers.
Those provisions also stop police and correctional agencies from honoring requests from immigration officials to hold illegal immigrants convicted of any crime, including violent crimes, until immigration officials can pick them up to remove them from Illinois and the country.
The laws and ordinances targeted by the lawsuit include the state's so-called Way Forward Act and TRUST Act, as well as Chicago's "Welcoming City" ordinance and its equivalent enacted by Cook County.
All of the measures were enacted in recent years by the Democrats who dominate Springfield and Chicago, with the stated goal of protecting illegal immigrants from deportation by directing state and local agencies to no longer cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
In the lawsuit, the Justice Department asserts state and local officials are using the laws to effectively thumb their noses at federal law enforcement - but only when federal agents are attempting to enforce immigration laws.
On all other federal law enforcement issue, the state and local authorities continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement agencies, the Justice Department said.
In the complaint, the Justice Department asserted this refusal to cooperate with federal immigration agents seeking to enforce federal immigration law amounts to a violation of the so-called Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes federal law as the law of the land when it conflicts with state law.
And the Justice Department said this refusal to cooperate also flies in the face of repeated public assertions from both Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson that they believe dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should be removed from the state and its communities.
The Justice Department particularly pointed to statements recently made by Pritzker in an interview with CNN, when he said: : “Well let me start by being clear that when we’re talking about violent criminals who’ve been convicted and who are undocumented, we don’t want them in our state. We want them out of the country. We hope they do get deported. And if that’s who they’re picking up, we’re all for it.”
"Illinois laws, however, provide otherwise," the Justice Department said in its complaint.
Pritzker vowed to fight the lawsuit and to defend the state laws.
In a statement, Pritzker said: “Unlike Donald Trump, Illinois follows the law. The bipartisan Illinois TRUST Act, signed into law by a Republican governor, has always been compliant with federal law and still is today. Illinois will defend our laws that prioritize police resources for fighting crime while enabling state law enforcement to assist with arresting violent criminals. Instead of working with us to support law enforcement, the Trump Administration is making it more difficult to protect the public, just like they did when Trump pardoned the convicted January 6 violent criminals. We look forward to seeing them in court.”
Pritzker followed that up with a post on social media platform X, once again vowing to fight President Trump: "On the day after the election, I made a promise to the people of Illinois: when it comes to threats to our freedom, health, or security, if you come for my people, you come through me."
The governor did not address the claims in the lawsuit that Illinois' laws are specifically being used to encumber efforts by federal immigration agents to deport criminal illegal immigrants.
Illinois' Republicans released a statement from State Sen. John Curran, the party's leader in state Senate:
"By continuing to obstruct federal immigration authorities from apprehending dangerous criminals being harbored in Illinois illegally, Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson are putting both law enforcement and Illinoisans at risk. I strongly encourage the Governor, Mayor of Chicago and Democratic legislative leaders to quit impeding law enforcement's ability to cooperate and assist federal authorities with removing violent criminals who are here in Illinois illegally and immediately call our repeal of the Trust Act for a vote."