Pritzker signs bill to further shield illegal immigrants in Illinois from deportations
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed HB 1312, a broad new law aimed at increasing protections for undocumented immigrants in the state. The legislation introduces safeguards in courthouses, hospitals, day cares, and university campuses to limit civil immigration enforcement.
Pritzker signed the bill at Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood alongside lawmakers, officials, and community advocates.
“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,” Pritzker said in a press release. “Illinois — in the face of cruelty and intimidation — has chosen solidarity and support. President 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.”
HB 1312 creates new legal protections for Illinois residents, allowing individuals to sue if they believe their constitutional rights were violated. The law prohibits civil arrests at certain state proceedings, strengthens privacy protections at hospitals, and restricts universities and day care centers from sharing immigration status unless legally required. It also mandates that these institutions implement protocols for interacting with federal agents by early 2026.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson criticized the law, saying, “If Pritzker focused on fixing crime in his own state instead of defending criminal illegal aliens, Illinois residents would be much safer. Cracking down on crime and deporting dangerous criminal illegal aliens should not be a partisan issue, but Democrats suffering from TDS are trying to make it one, all at the expense of the Americans they are elected to serve.”
President Trump has repeatedly advocated for stricter immigration enforcement. In November, he told CBS News that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids “haven’t gone far enough” in targeting undocumented migrants. The administration maintains these raids focus on criminal migrants deemed the “worst of the worst.”
Fox News has reported that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, senior adviser Corey Lewandowski, and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino have pushed for more aggressive immigration enforcement, targeting anyone in the U.S. without legal status to increase deportation numbers.
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, criticized Pritzker’s action, arguing it violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which establishes federal law as the highest law of the land.
President Trump has said he hopes to deport “many” of the roughly 25 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. “Well, it takes a long time… but whether it was ten or – I believe I’m much closer to the right number. Of the 25, many of them should not be here. Many of them,” he said.
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