The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois for sanctuary policies that restrict cooperation between local officials and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In the lawsuit filed Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a federal judge to declare certain sanctuary laws in Chicago and Illinois unconstitutional, arguing that the policies are impeding federal immigration officials. The lawsuit is the latest in the Trump administration’s fight against sanctuary jurisdictions as it continues on with an ambitious immigration enforcement agenda.
“The challenged provisions of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County law reflect their intentional effort to obstruct the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law and to impede consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe,” the DOJ stated in the lawsuit.
“Upon information and belief, the conduct of officials in Chicago and Illinois minimally enforcing — and oftentimes affirmatively thwarting — federal immigration laws over a period of years has resulted in countless criminals being released into Chicago who should have been held for immigration removal from the United States,” the lawsuit continues.
The lawsuit takes specific aim at the state’s Illinois Way Forward Act and TRUST Act which, the administration argues, impedes the federal government’s ability to perform immigration enforcement actions. Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance and Cook County’s Policy for Responding to ICE Detainers are also singled out in the lawsuit.
Chicago and the entire state of Illinois have been hotbeds for criminal illegal migrant activity, according to the administration. From fiscal year 2016 to 2025, ICE officers have arrested 13,564 migrants in the state and have lodged 11,036 detainers — with many of those arrested carrying serious criminal histories such as assault, sexual and drug-related charges.
The litigation is the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to make sanctuary cities more cooperative in helping federal law enforcement apprehend criminal illegal migrants.
On her first day in office, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo placing a freeze on DOJ funding for sanctuary cities and calling for an investigation into sanctuary jurisdictions that obstruct justice or otherwise impede the mission of ICE agents. The directive was preceded by the establishment of a working group with the DOJ to investigate sanctuary jurisdictions and sue when necessary.
Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson — who is specifically named in the lawsuit — has defiantly stood by his city’s sanctuary law in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election victory and against members of the Chicago City Council who wish to see change. The Democrat mayor successfully pushed aldermen to quash a proposal by moderate lawmakers to make exceptions on the law when illegal migrants are involved in serious criminal acts.
“The liberals control everything,” Independent Chicago Alderman Nicholas Sposato said to the Daily Caller News Foundation after the amendment proposal failed. “So if they want to remain a sanctuary city and protect criminals over law-abiding citizens in our community then I guess that’s the way it’s going to be.”
The Trump administration isn’t the only entity targeting Chicago’s sanctuary city law.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced in January its own investigation into four major sanctuary cities — Boston, New York City, Denver and Chicago, requesting all four mayors to hand over pertinent documentation and speak before the committee. Committee Chairman James Comer revealed Wednesday that all four mayors have confirmed their attendance to testify on March 5.
Since entering office, Trump has embarked on a large-scale arrest and deportation operation against criminal illegal migrants in the country, and border czar Tom Homan has warned that he will refer any individual who impedes ICE’s mission for prosecution.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, another defendant named in Thursday’s lawsuit, vowed in a public response to put up a fight.
“We’re going to fight back,” Preckwinkle stated. “We will pursue every legal opportunity to defend the programs that we believe in and defend our values.”
Chicago has been hit hard by the border crisis that began under the Biden administration. Over 51,000 migrants have flocked to the Windy City since August 2022, requiring housing, food and other accommodations. City taxpayers have shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.
“Chicago is in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, and we continue to maintain that place with all of the pointless, endless political bluster coming out of the mouths of Brandon Johnson and his hyper liberal, socialist enablers,” Democratic Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, one of the authors of the amendment to change the city’s sanctuary law, previously said to the DCNF.
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