Trump admin sues Illinois Gov. Pritzker over laws shielding migrants from courthouse arrests

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker meets with Pope Leo XIV Illinois Democratic Gov. Jay Robert "JB" Pritzker met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, a fellow native of the Land of Lincoln, at the Vatican. (Credit: REUTERS) The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker over new laws that aim to protect migrants from arrest at key locations, including courthouses, hospitals and day cares. The lawsuit was filed on Monday, arguing that the new protective measures prohibiting immigration agents from detaining migrants going about daily business at specific locations are unconstitutional and "threaten the safety of federal officers," the DOJ said in a statement. The governor signed laws earlier this month that ban civil arrests at and around courthouses across the state. The measures also require hospitals, day care centers and public universities to have procedures in place for addressing civil immigration operations and protecting personal information. The laws, which took effect immediately, also provide legal steps for people whose constitutional rights were violated during the federal immigration raids in the Chicago area, including $10,000 in damages for a person unlawfully arrested while attempting to attend a court proceeding. PRITZKER SIGNS BILL TO FURTHER SHIELD ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN ILLINOIS FROM DEPORTATIONS The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker over new laws that aim to protect migrants from arrest at key locations. (Getty Images) Pritzker, a Democrat, has led the fight against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Illinois, particularly over the indiscriminate and sometimes violent nature in which they are detained. But the governor's office reaffirmed that he is not against arresting illegal migrants who commit violent crimes. "However, the Trump administration’s masked agents are not targeting the ‘worst of the worst’ - they are harassing and detaining law-abiding U.S. citizens and Black and brown people at daycares, hospitals and courthouses," spokesperson Jillian Kaehler said in a statement. Earlier this year, the federal government reversed a Biden administration policy prohibiting immigration arrests in sensitive locations such as hospitals, schools and churches. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s "Operation Midway Blitz," which began in September in the Chicago area but appears to have since largely wound down for now, led to more than 4,000 arrests. But data on people arrested from early September through mid-October showed only 15% had criminal records, with the vast majority of offenses being traffic violations, misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies. Gov. JB Pritzker has led the fight against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Illinois. (Kamil Krazaczynski/AFP via Getty Images) Immigration and legal advocates have praised the new laws protecting migrants in Illinois, saying many immigrants were avoiding courthouses, hospitals and schools out of fear of arrest amid the president's mass deportation agenda . The laws are "a brave choice" in opposing ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "Our collective resistance to ICE and CBP’s violent attacks on our communities goes beyond community-led rapid...

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