Trump Administration Sues Chicago Over Sanctuary City Policy (2)

The Trump administration stepped up its legal fight over the president’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants by suing Illinois and Chicago, claiming their “sanctuary” policies prevent local officials from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.

It’s the first such case by new Attorney General Pam Bondi, who on Wednesday — her first full day on the job — directed the US Justice Department to identify local governments with policies that impede immigration enforcement and to take action “where appropriate.”

Elected officials including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are among those seeking to obstruct federal efforts to conduct the immigration crackdown President Donald Trump ordered shortly after taking office last month, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Chicago.

“The conduct of officials in Chicago and Illinois minimally enforcing — and oftentimes affirmatively thwarting — federal immigration laws over a period of years has resulted in countless criminals being released into Chicago who should have been held for immigration removal from the United States,” government lawyers said in the complaint.

Read More: Chicago Keeps Sanctuary City Rules as Trump Presidency Looms

The federal lawsuit challenges a state law passed in 2017 and strengthened in 2021 that broadly prohibited local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement, as well as a Chicago policy and Cook County ordinance reflecting similar limitations.

Sanctuary cities and immigration advocates argue that expanding law enforcement collaboration with federal immigration authorities erodes trust in communities and makes people less likely to report crimes or take advantage of public services like schools and hospitals.

In a statement, Pritzker’s office 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.”

“Chicago is and will remain a welcoming city, with welcoming people who work beside their neighbors to build strong communities where you can still raise a family,” the mayor’s office said in a statement, adding that the city’s law department is reviewing the federal government’s complaint.

The lawsuit comes after the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee called on Democratic mayors of New York, Chicago, Denver and Boston to testify next month about their policies for undocumented immigrants. They’ve all agreed to appear.

Chicago has long been a target for Trump, who often rails against crime in the city. Local leaders doubled down on support of Chicago’s “welcoming city” ordinance ahead of Trump’s inauguration, rejecting a proposal to scale back the sanctuary policy.

Read More: How Sanctuary Cities Are Preparing for Trump Showdown

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order calling for federal funds to be cut off for any local government with sanctuary policies. Bondi issued a memo Wednesday, calling for the Justice Department to start enforcing the order.

While it’s unclear how much funding is at stake for Chicago, the city already is financially strained with projected deficits of more than $1 billion in the coming years. Chicago’s 2025 budget proposal included at least $2.7 billion in so-called direct and pass-through federal grants.

Trump adopted a similar policy during his first term. Courts blocked the effort in several jurisdictions, but the federal government was successful in limiting the reach of those orders.

Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, said Thursday’s lawsuit does not change the county’s commitment to being a “fair and welcoming community.”

“Our policies reflect our longstanding values and ensure that local resources are used to promote public safety and community trust,” she said in a statement.

The case is US v. Illinois, 25-cv-1285, US District Court, Northern District of Illinois (Chicago).

(Updates with comment from Chicago mayor’s office, rationale for sanctuary laws.)

--With assistance from Suzanne Monyak, Shruti Date Singh, Miranda Davis and Elizabeth Campbell.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Madlin Mekelburg in Austin at mmekelburg@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.net

Steve Stroth, Peter Jeffrey

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