'That is not their job': Dems vow to fight Trump’s effort to force Chicago to arrest migrants
Late Thursday morning, February 6, the news broke that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) — now led by the Donald Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi — is suing the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois and Cook County, Illinois over their sanctuary city laws.
In the lawsuit, the DOJ argues that the laws "interfere with" President Donald Trump and the federal government's enforcement of immigration laws. Trump, after returning to the White House on January 20, declared a state of emergency on immigration before following through on his campaign promise of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
The lawsuit names Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and other Democrats as defendants.
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The lawsuit it being praised by some Illinois Republicans, but Illinois Democrats are sticking by their immigration positions.
On X, formerly Twitter, Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) praised Trump and Bondi's immigration policies. The congressman tweeted, "Governor Pritzker's sanctuary city policies have incentivized crime in Chicago, disenfranchising and endangering Illinoisans. I support @PamBondi 's decision to pause all federal funding to sanctuary cities until they allow ICE to do their job."
House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) is also supporting the DOJ lawsuit. He tweeted that he is "fighting to make our state and its largest city a safer place for legal citizens."
But Johnson remains a staunch defender of Chicago's sanctuary city status, telling National Public Radio (NPR): "Whether you're undocumented, whether you are seeking asylum or whether you're seeking a good paying job, we're going to fight and stand up for working people."
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Pritzker, meanwhile, maintains that while he supports deporting violent criminals, he does not want local police departments acting as immigration agents.
On X, Democratic Chicagoan Tina Issa said of the lawsuit, " As a Chicagoan I see this as abuse and specific targeting for political gain. And I know we won’t forget this and will work to organize politically to make sure it can’t happen again. To be clear Trump is suing the @Chicago_Police and @ILStatePolice for not doing the work of federal agents in ICE. That is NOT their job. It is NOT. "
