By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – A Republican state lawmaker and a Democratic Chicago alderman agree that sanctuary policies are the reason federal agencies have ramped up their presence in Illinois.
State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Murrayville, said he is introducing House Bill 1317 to repeal the law which prohibits local enforcement from working with federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants.
“This law, the TRUST Act, is the reason why federal authorities have come to Illinois. It’s because Gov. [J.B.] Pritzker has made it illegal for our local law enforcement to enforce federal laws,” Davidsmeyer said. “The reality is that Gov. Pritzker is more concerned about building his progressive national image than he is about protecting Illinois families from murderers and rapists.”
Last January, Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez and former state Rep. and current Alderman Silvana Tabares, D-Chicago, proposed an amendment to Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance. The measure would have allowed cooperation with federal immigration officers when people were arrested or convicted for gang crimes, drug crimes, prostitution-related activities such as human trafficking, or sex crimes involving minors.
The city council voted against the proposal. Lopez said Mayor Brandon Johnson and his supporters essentially told the federal government to work without cooperation.
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