Illinois, Chicago Sue Over ‘Menacing’ Immigration Tactics (2)

Illinois and the city of Chicago sued the US Department of Homeland Security Monday, saying the “menacing, violent, and unlawful incursion” of immigration agents into the area is an illegal attempt to get them to comply with Trump’s ideological goals.

“Though Defendants describe this assault as ‘immigration enforcement,’ the reality is that uniformed, military-trained personnel, carrying semi-automatic firearms and military-grade weaponry, have rampaged for months through Chicago and surrounding areas, lawlessly stopping, interrogating, and arresting residents, and attacking them with chemical weapons,” the suit says.

It’s part of a campaign to pressure so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions into alignment with the administration’s immigration priorities, says the suit, which was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

And it has allegedly interfered with the city and state’s ability to execute their “core sovereign functions” like overseeing public health and safety. Residents have been afraid to seek out public services or even leave their homes, the suit claims, and government resources have been diverted to help support the immigrant population through the volatility.

It is the latest Chicago federal lawsuit to challenge the aggressive tactics made infamous during “Operation Midway Blitz,” the administration’s 2025 Chicago-area immigration crackdown.

While that surge has apparently wound down, there is a significant chance the administration will once again turn its sights on Chicago, Monday’s suit states, quoting US Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino as saying they’ll be in Chicago “for years.”

Illinois and Chicago have requested their suit be assigned to Judge Sara Ellis, who was heavily critical of agents’ tactics in a separate suit brought by protesters, journalists, and clergy. The plaintiffs in that suit have moved to dismiss it given that the bulk of agents have left town; Ellis has appeared hesitant to grant that motion.

Among the defendants in Monday’s suit are Bovino and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

In addition to violating 10th Amendment sovereignty protections, the suit says immigration agents violated the Administrative Procedure Act, arbitrarily overstepping federal authority with tactics including tear-gassing residential neighborhoods, capturing residents’ biometric data without consent, and making arrests without warrants or probable cause.

In a statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the suit is “baseless.”

“It really is astounding that the Left can miraculously rediscover the Tenth Amendment when they don’t want federal law enforcement officers to enforce federal law—which is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II and the Supremacy Clause—and then go right back to federalizing every state responsibility possible when they get back in power,” the statement reads. “Spare us.”

The plaintiffs want US Customs and Border Protection barred from conducting civil immigration enforcement in Illinois without the authorization of Congress. They’re also seeking an injunction on practices including warrantless arrests, immigration enforcement in places like daycares and shelters, and dispersing tear gas without warning.

Illinois and Chicago limit the ways local law enforcement can cooperate in federal immigration enforcement, making them so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions that have drawn Trump’s ire.

Monday’s suit claims immigration agents’ “organized bombardment” of Chicago is part of a pressure campaign aimed at sanctuary cities, which has also included attempts to cut off federal funding.

“The deployment into Illinois of Border Patrol, a quasi-military force, pursuing a coordinated campaign of violence and intimidation against the people of the State is, for President Trump, another tactic with the same goal—to punish Illinois and Chicago for refusing to adopt his administration’s policies, and to coerce them to change course,” the suit states.

The case is Illinois v. Dep’t of Homeland Security, N.D. Ill., No. 1:26-cv-00321, complaint filed 1/12/26.