Trump's DOJ sues Illinois, others over sanctuary policies

By Brett Rowland
The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and local officials alleging they are exacerbating the border crisis and thwarting federal officials with sanctuary city policies.

The Justice Department asked a judge to declare the state and local laws unconstitutional under the federal government's supremacy clause.

The complaint, filed Thursday, specifically referenced the Illinois Way Forward Act and the 2017 TRUST Act alongside Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance and Cook County policies. It further names Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.

"Under these laws, state officers are explicitly prohibited from complying with immigration detainers or civil immigration warrants; they are also prevented from entering into agreements to detain noncitizens for federal civil immigration violations," according to the complaint.

The lawsuit comes the day after the Senate confirmed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday. On her first day, Bondi issued a memo restricting sanctuary cities from accessing Justice Department funds.

"Because of the challenged laws, [The Department of Homeland Security] lacks the ability to readily obtain from local law enforcement the release date of aliens whom DHS has reason to believe are removable from the United States, and DHS lacks access to such aliens to facilitate the transfer of custody, even where DHS presents a Congressionally authorized civil administrative warrant of arrest or removal," the complaint noted. 

The complaint said Illinois, Chicago and Cook County policies were making federal immigration challenges more difficult.

"Further exacerbating this national crisis, some of these aliens find safe havens from federal law enforcement detection in so-called Sanctuary Cities where they live and work among innocent Americans, who may later become their crime victims," the complaint alleges. 

After President Donald Trump's election win in November 2024, Pritzker said he would stand up to anyone looking to take away rights from Illinoisans.

"To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom, opportunity, and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior," Pritzker wrote. "You come for my people – you come through me."

Reporters on Thursday asked Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, why Illinois and Chicago were singled out in the first lawsuit.

"Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals," Homan said. "I'm glad we got Pam Bondi running the DOJ now."

He said law enforcement agencies – at every level of government – should be able to work together

Taxpayers will pick the tab for legal expenditures from the federal, state and local governments.