Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a slate of laws Tuesday aimed at protecting immigrants from federal immigration operations. The legislation includes protections in hospitals, on college campuses, in day care facilities or near courthouses.
Pritzker addressed the bill in a news conference prior to the signing.
“Together we’re sending a message to Donald Trump, to Kristi Noem, to Gregory Bovino and anyone else seeking to terrorize our people,” he said. “Your divisiveness and brutality are not welcome here.”
The law is in response to the Trump administration’s recent crackdown on immigration in Chicago, which the Department of Homeland Security dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz.”
Though Trump’s reasoning for recent immigration crackdowns across the country is to hamper crime rates, federal data shows that a majority of immigrant detainees nationally have had no criminal convictions.
“This has never been about fighting crime,” Pritzker said.“If you’re trying to prevent violence and protect public safety, you don’t attack child care centers and church parking lots and schools.”
Members of the GOP and the president himself are likely to push back on the laws, as the Trump administration has stood firm on its immigration tactics in cities across the country.
The law will take effect immediately.
Kathleen Creedon is a platforms editor for MS NOW. She previously worked as a web producer for Vanity Fair.