The U.S. Department of Justice sued Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul over the state’s new law aimed at limiting immigration enforcement in courthouses.
The law, signed by Pritzker this month, bars immigration enforcement from courthouses and opens the door for easier legal action against federal agents over alleged civil rights infractions. It follows the Trump administration’s sweeping deportation campaign that has targeted the state, specifically the Chicago area, for months.
The lawsuit claims that the law is unconstitutional and states have no regulatory authority over federal actions, such as immigration enforcement.
“The Department of Justice will steadfastly protect law enforcement from unconstitutional state laws like Illinois’ that threaten massive punitive liability and compromise the safety of our officers,” Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said in a news release.
The lawsuit also claims that the law jeopardizes the safety of immigration agents, who have reportedly faced harassment, doxxing and threats as tensions over immigration flare.
In signing the law, Pritzker strengthened his stance against federal immigration enforcement, which he has staunchly opposed since “Operation Midway Blitz” began this fall. Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection have carried out thousands of arrests, some of which have taken place in or outside of courthouses. The law, which went into effect immediately, banned immigration enforcement inside or within 1,000 feet of state courthouses.
“The idea that the Trump administration wants to prevent people from attending court, doing their civic duty and protecting public safety just boggles the mind,” Pritzker said before signing the legislation. “With my signature today, we are trying to protect people and institutions that belong here in Illinois. Dropping your kid off at daycare, going to the doctor, attending classes, should not be a life-altering risk.”
The law also requires hospitals, day care centers and public universities to implement plans for handling immigration agents or raids at their facilities, and keeps them from providing people’s personal information to agents.
The aggressive deportation campaign has been painted as a way to get violent criminals off the streets and increase safety for U.S. residents. But few of those arrested have criminal histories, much less violent offenses on their record, a Sun-Times analysis found.
A spokesperson for Pritzker didn’t immediately return requests for comment, but Pritzker acknowledged that court challenges were likely upon signing the law. “Whenever you enact something that is tough, that is about protecting people, there are going to be people out there who attack it. And no doubt, they have the ability to go to court about it, but I believe this is not just a good law, but a great law,” Pritzker said earlier this month.