Illinois enacts immigration protections amid Trump crackdowns

By Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - ⁠Illinois residents can ⁠sue ‍federal immigration agents if they believe their civil rights have been violated after Governor JB Pritzker enacted a new law on Tuesday in ‍response to the Trump administration's expansion of immigration enforcement nationwide.

The bill, ​which was sent to Pritzker's desk by the state legislature last month, restricts immigration enforcement efforts outside ​of state courthouses and allows plaintiffs to sue for damages.

It also prohibits schools from threatening to disclose actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status of an employee, student or a person ​associated with a student or employee to an external party.

"With my signature today, we are protecting people and institutions that belong here in Illinois. Dropping your ​kid off at day care, going to the doctor, or attending your classes should not be a life-altering ‌task," said Governor Pritzker, a Democrat, whom some consider a potential 2028 presidential candidate.

Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said ​Pritzker violated the U.S. Constitution and his oath ⁠of office when he signed the bill into law.

The law went into immediate effect and is in response to an aggressive ‌immigration agenda launched by the Republican President Donald Trump targeting U.S. cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.

Trump has also sought to deploy National Guard members to Chicago ‌to enforce what he calls anti-crime efforts. Trump for years has criticized crime in Chicago, even ‌as city figures show most categories of violent crime have dropped this year.

Illinois has pushed back against the Trump administration's attempts to deploy the National Guard and ramp up immigration arrests in ‍the state.

"Illinois — in the face of cruelty and intimidation — has chosen solidarity and support," Pritzker said.

"Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and Gregory ⁠Bovino have tried to appeal to our lesser instincts. But the best of us are standing up to the worst of them," he added, referring to the president and heads of Homeland Security and U.S. Border Patrol.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; editing by Susan Heavey, Aurora Ellis and Chizu Nomiyama )

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