Illinois Sues Trump Administration for Dangerous Enforcement Tactics and Unlawful Use of Force

CHICAGO – Today, the State of Illinois filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the unlawful and dangerous tactics used by Customs and Border Protection (CPB) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Illinois.

The lawsuit, brought by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and supported by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, specifically challenges the Trump Administration’s federal overreach using tactics exceeding the authority granted by Congress, including arresting people without warrants or probable cause, indiscriminately deploying tear gas, and other illegal enforcement policies.

“We have watched in horror as unchecked federal agents have aggressively assaulted and terrorized our communities and neighborhoods in Illinois, undermining Constitutional rights and threatening public safety,” said Governor Pritzker. “In the face of the Trump Administration’s cruelty and intimidation, Illinois is standing up against the attacks on our people. Today, Illinois is once again taking Donald Trump to court to hold his administration accountable for their unlawful tactics, unnecessary escalations, and flagrant abuses of power.”

“Border Patrol agents and ICE officers have acted as occupiers rather than officers of the law,” said Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “They randomly, and often violently, question residents. Without warrants or probable cause, they brutally detain citizens and non-citizens alike. They use tear gas and other chemical weapons against bystanders, injuring dozens, including children, the elderly and local police officers. I filed this lawsuit to stand up for the safety of the people of Illinois and the sovereignty of our state.”

“People have a right to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods, but DHS’s presence in communities across the country has made this impossible,” said Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. “We’re taking a stand with this suit and protecting the right to safety. No one is above the law—and the courts will agree." ​

Of note, the lawsuit alleges that, for decades, federal immigration agents have enforced immigration laws in Illinois without significant interruption to public order and safety. The State of Illinois has a proven track record of successfully working and coordinating with federal law enforcement partners, however, since the onset of Operation Midway Blitz, ICE and CBP agents have been an abhorrent example of urban policing because of their lack of training and supervision, and continuous failure to de-escalate in an environment stoked solely by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and CBP leader Gregory Bovino.

Since being deployed to Illinois in September, CPB and ICE agents have killed one Illinois resident, shot another, and conducted a military raid with black-hawk helicopters on a Chicago apartment building—detaining all its residents, including children. Federal agents have wreaked havoc in our neighborhoods, arrested hundreds without warrants, provoked chaos upon peaceful protesters and innocent bystanders, and unleashed chemical weapons upon law-abiding residents and U.S. citizens.

The lawsuit asserts that the federal government has attacked Illinois’ ability to carry out its core sovereign functions and violated the Tenth Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, as well as harmed Illinois residents because of their recently adopted illegal enforcement policies.

Read more about the lawsuit from the Office of the Illinois Attorney General HERE.

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