DOJ sues Illinois Gov JB Pritzker over laws protecting migrants at courthouses

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Illinois Governor JB Pritzker over new laws aimed at protecting migrants from arrest at key locations including courthouses, hospitals and day care centers.

The suit was filed Monday, arguing that new protections prohibiting immigration agents from detaining migrants going about their daily lives in specific locations are unconstitutional and “threaten the safety of federal agents,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

The governor signed laws earlier this month banning civilian arrests in and around state courthouses. The measures also require public hospitals, daycares and universities to implement procedures to manage civil immigration operations and protect personal information.

The laws, which took effect immediately, also provide legal relief for people whose constitutional rights were violated during federal immigration raids in the Chicago area, including $10,000 in damages for a person illegally arrested while trying to attend a court proceeding.

PRITZKER SIGNS BILL TO FURTHER PROTECT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN ILLINOIS FROM EXPORTS

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against Illinois Governor JB Pritzker over new laws aimed at protecting 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 of their detention.

But the governor’s office reiterated that it is not opposed to arresting illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes.

“However, the Trump administration’s masked agents are not targeting the ‘worst of the worst’: They are harassing and arresting law-abiding American citizens and Black and brown people in child care centers, hospitals and courthouses,” spokesperson Jillian Kaehler said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the federal government reversed a Biden administration policy banning immigrant arrests in sensitive locations such as hospitals, schools and churches.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” which began in September in the Chicago area but appears to have largely ended for now, has led to more than 4,000 arrests. But data on people arrested between early September and mid-October shows that only 15% of them had a criminal record, with the vast majority of offenses being traffic violations, misdemeanors or non-violent 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 welcomed new laws protecting migrants in Illinois, saying many immigrants are avoiding courthouses, hospitals and schools for fear of arrest under the president’s mass deportation agenda.

These laws are “a courageous choice” in opposition to 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 violent attacks by ICE and CBP on our communities goes beyond a rapid community-led response – it also includes legislative solutions,” he said.

The DOJ alleges that Pritzker and state Attorney General Kwame Raoul, also a Democrat, violated the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes that federal law is the “supreme law of the land.”

Illinois Lawmakers Pass Bill Banning Immigration Arrests on Ice Near Courthouses

Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Raoul and his team review the DOJ complaint.

“This new law reflects our belief that no one is above the law, regardless of position or authority,” Pritzker’s office said. “Unlike the Trump administration, Illinois protects our state’s constitutional rights.”

The lawsuit is part of an initiative by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to block state and local laws that the DOJ says hamper federal immigration operations, as other states have also made efforts to protect migrants from federal raids in sensitive locations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.