Prairie State Wire

Illinois House Republicans have announced on the social media platform X that Governor JB Pritzker has turned Illinois into a destination for illegal immigrants. They are calling for the repeal of the TRUST Act to end the state's sanctuary policies.

According to the Illinois Attorney General, the TRUST Act generally prohibits local law enforcement in Illinois from participating in federal civil immigration enforcement. This measure aims to bolster community trust by affirming that officers cannot arrest, detain, or assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in immigration operations without a criminal context. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois notes that the TRUST Act was enacted in 2017 under Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and limits enforcement such that law enforcement cannot hold someone solely on ICE detainers. This legal framework has been characterized as creating sanctuary-type protections, which Republican critics argue undermine cooperation with federal authorities.

According to Axios, Illinois is among six U.S. states hosting the majority of the nation’s unauthorized immigrants, reinforcing its role as a major destination. The state accounts for approximately 400,000 undocumented immigrants, making it the sixth-largest population in the nation—a figure echoed in state breakdowns of national immigration data. These estimates have driven political debate, as Republican lawmakers argue that such population levels intensify budget and resource pressures.

As reported by Capitol News Illinois via My Journal Courier, Republican legislators have introduced bills to overturn the TRUST Act, arguing that sanctuary-style policies risk public safety and taxpayer burdens. For instance, proponents of repeal like Senator Andrew Chesney say that limiting cooperation between state authorities and ICE "puts public safety at greater risk," framing repeal as essential to uphold the law. These efforts come amid a landscape where downstate municipalities have passed non-sanctuary resolutions, but the statewide TRUST Act still legally supersedes them.

The Illinois House Republicans are the minority caucus in the Illinois General Assembly and are led by House Republican Leader Tony McCombie. The caucus has consistently targeted sanctuary-style state policies, including the TRUST Act, in their legislative agenda—calling for repeal and insisting that undocumented immigrants should not receive taxpayer-funded benefits. They characterize Governor Pritzker’s policies as having transformed Illinois into a magnet for undocumented immigrants and emphasize ending sanctuary status to restore stricter immigration enforcement.