Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation Tuesday that prohibits federal agents from taking enforcement action against immigrants near courthouses, hospitals, college campuses or day care facilities.
The law takes effect immediately and is in response to a crackdown on immigration in the Chicago area that the Trump administration began in September.
The law also provides for legal action against those whose constitutional rights are violated during enforcement, including $10,000 in damages for those who are wrongfully arrested while attempting to appear in court.
“Driving your child to day care, going to the doctor, attending class should not be a life-altering task,” Pritzker said at a bill signing in a heavily Latino neighborhood in Chicago. “In the face of brutality and intimidation, the state of Illinois has chosen to stand together and support.”
More than 3,000 people were arrested in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Operation Midway Blitz.
