Pritzker Signs Bill to Restrict Immigration Arrests Outside State Courthouses

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill on Tuesday restricting immigration authorities’ ability to make arrests outside of state courthouses and making it easier for residents to sue immigration agents for violating people’s rights.

“We know that this new set of laws can’t mitigate all of the harm,” Pritzker said at a bill signing ceremony, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, “but it gives us new protective tools and is a symbol of our shared action against those terrorizing our communities and our state.”

State lawmakers passed the collection of amendments to the state’s immigration law in October as the Trump administration ramped up its immigration enforcement efforts in the state. The White House has singled out Chicago in particular, launching a surge of immigration enforcement earlier this year that officials dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”

Since arriving in Chicago, authorities have conducted several high-profile military-style raids on residential buildings, including one infamous incident in which officers rappelled from Black Hawk helicopters onto the roof of a building.

The provisions in Tuesday’s bill prohibit arrests of those attending proceedings in and around state courthouses, and allow for residents to sue for civil damages for false imprisonment, including statutory damages up to $10,000. The bill also allows for civil legal action against individual law enforcement officers “who knowingly violated the Illinois or United States Constitution.”

“Illinois — in the face of cruelty and intimidation — has chosen solidarity and support. Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and Gregory Bovino have tried to appeal to our lesser instincts,” Pritzker said in a press release. “But the best of us are standing up to the worst of them.”

Federal agents detain a protester and push back others during a protest in Chicago. Anthony Vazquez/AP

In a statement to NOTUS, Department of Homeland Security senior spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Pritzker violated his oath of office by signing the bill into law.

“He must be unfamiliar with the US Constitution,” McLaughlin said in the statement. “Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution, still clearly states: ‘This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof … shall be the supreme Law of the Land.’”

“By signing this law, Pritzker violated the Supremacy Clause, his oath he took as Governor to ‘support the Constitution of the United States’ — which itself falls under the oaths clause of the Constitution,” McLaughlin continued. “We hope the headlines, social media likes, and fundraising emails he did this for are worth it!”

Tuesday’s bill also requires hospitals, higher education institutions and day care centers to implement policies regarding interactions with law enforcement agents. It requires the state departments of Children and Family Services and Early Childhood to provide know-your-rights materials and preparedness plans online and compels licensed day care centers to adopt a plan of action for notifying parents and interacting with enforcement agents.

“This law sends the message that if you abuse your authority, there are consequences,” state Senate President Don Harmon said in Tuesday’s press release. “Our rights follow us into the courthouse, onto campus, at the hospital, and when taking our kids to day care. No one gets to take them away. We are providing the victims of this chaotic federal assault a clear, legal path to go after their abusers and hold them accountable.”

The Department of Homeland Security said it has arrested “more than 4,000 illegal aliens, including rapists, murderers, and gang members” in the Chicago area since early October.

A district judge on Nov. 14 ordered the release of hundreds of detainees arrested in Chicago who are not subject to mandatory detention and don’t have final orders of removal. Per an internal Justice Department document, DHS reported 614 immigrants were arrested during the most recent surge, 598 of whom did not have criminal records.

In a social media post, DHS blasted the new law and demanded that state authorities cooperate with federal authorities by handing over “the remaining 4,000 criminal illegal aliens in their custody.”

“@GovPritzker is refusing to cooperate with @ICEgov, allowing murderers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers to roam free and terrorize more Americans,” DHS posted to X on Tuesday.