Officials from the Trump administration have initiated a lawsuit against Illinois and key state officials, aiming to compel them to hand over individuals suspected of being in the country illegally instead of allowing their release from jails and state prisons.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, represents the latest attempt by the Trump administration to persuade liberal-led states—such as Colorado, New York, and California—to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in their efforts to deport undocumented residents.

Local laws in Illinois and Chicago prohibit police from supporting ICE agents with immigration enforcement actions. ICE leaders highlighted these types of laws during a series of pre-dawn raids conducted across the Denver area on Wednesday, and the current lawsuit parallels their assertions.

The recently passed Laken Riley Act encourages state officials to take legal action against the federal government if they believe it is not effectively enforcing immigration laws. The lawsuit contends that this new law clearly signals Congress’s desire for states to become involved in immigration matters.

Illinois, alongside Chicago and other states and cities, has regulations that limit how much local law enforcement can assist federal immigration officials, particularly concerning the detention of individuals accused of immigration law violations. Previous rulings have often deemed such “detainers” illegal.

“The provisions of Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County law challenged in this lawsuit intentionally hinder the ability of federal immigration officers to fulfill their duties within these jurisdictions,” stated the Attorney General’s office in its lawsuit. “The Supremacy Clause prevents Illinois, Chicago, Cook County, and their officials from obstructing the Federal Government’s capability to enforce laws enacted by Congress or to act as authorized by the Constitution.”

President Donald Trump has vowed to prioritize immigration enforcement, and within the initial weeks of his administration, ICE agents conducted several raids across the nation while also reopening Guantanamo Bay as a facility capable of housing up to 30,000 deportees.

The lawsuit mentions specific instances where individuals were released from local jails instead of being held for ICE, subsequently committing further crimes. For example, Laken Riley, a nursing student from Georgia, was tragically killed in 2024 by a Venezuelan man who was living in the U.S. illegally, having previously been arrested for shoplifting but not deported.

The Laken Riley Act stipulates that ICE must detain individuals who are in the U.S. without legal permission and are arrested or accused of certain offenses, including burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, or assault on a law enforcement officer. It is important to note that a person merely needs to be accused of a crime—not necessarily convicted—to be subject to detention and deportation.

In response, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated that the state is prepared to defend its legal stance in court. As a Democrat, Pritzker has consistently opposed many of Trump’s policies.

“Rather than collaborating with us to support law enforcement, the Trump Administration is complicating efforts to ensure public safety much like they did with Trump’s pardoning of those convicted in the January 6 riots,” Pritzker commented in a statement. “We look forward to engaging with them in court.”