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A pedestrian walks past the flag of Puerto Rico and the colorful door to the sanctuary apartment of Chicago's Adalberto Memorial United Methodist Church in Chicago in 2021. The church has provided shelter to immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption
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Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
The Department of Justice is suing the City of Chicago, the state of Illinois and Cook County over their "sanctuary laws" that limit cooperation with immigration authorities.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Illinois, accuses those jurisdictions of "making it more difficult for, and deliberately impeding, federal immigration officers' ability to carry out their responsibilities."
President Trump and his appointees have often threatened to punish "sanctuary cities" and states before. During the first Trump administration, the Justice Department tried to withhold funding from those jurisdictions -- but they fought back and were often able to defeat those efforts in court.
Chicago has been a focus for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations since President Trump returned to office, spreading fear in immigrant communities and schools across the city and beyond.
Mayor Brandon Johnson told NPR's Morning Edition that Chicago will stand by its policies.
"We are firm in that our police department will not intervene or participate in any way" in immigration enforcement, Johnson said last month. "Whether you're undocumented, whether you are seeking asylum or whether you're seeking a good paying job, we're going to fight and stand up for working people."
