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Justice Department filed suit on Monday Illinois Governor JB Pritzker New state laws aim to protect immigrants in courts, hospitals and day cares.
Pritzker signed a set of laws earlier this month that ban civil arrests in and around courthouses across the state and require hospitals, day care centers and public universities to have procedures in place to handle civil immigration operations and protect personal information.
The laws, which took effect immediately, also provide legal recourse for people whose constitutional rights were violated during a federal enforcement action. chicago area, which includes $10,000 in damages for anyone unlawfully arrested while attempting to attend court proceedings.
immigration And legal advocates have praised the law, saying many immigrants are avoiding courts, hospitals and schools for fear of being detained.
Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, called the laws “a bold choice.”
“Our collective resistance to ICE and CBP’s violent attacks on our communities goes beyond community-led rapid response – it also includes legislative solutions,” he said at the time.
The Justice Department argues that Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who are named in the lawsuit and are both Democrats, violated the U.S. Constitution with the laws, which they say “threaten the safety of federal officials,” according to a statement Monday evening. The lawsuit is part of the US Attorney General’s effort palm bondi The agency says identifying state and local laws hinder federal immigration operations.
Pritzker and Raoul did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
When signing the bills, Pritzker acknowledged that they could be challenged in court.
Pritzker said, “There’s no doubt that they have the ability to go to court about it, but I believe this is not just a good law, but a great law.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” which now appears to be largely over, has arrested more than 4,000 people. Data on those arrested from early September to mid-October showed that only 15% had a criminal record, the majority of which were traffic offenses, misdemeanors or non-violent felonies.