The Trump administration’s ongoing legal fight against sanctuary jurisdictions faced a setback Friday, as a federal judge in Illinois threw out a lawsuit challenging Chicago’s limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
U.S. District Judge Lindsay Jenkins, appointed by President Biden, ruled that the city’s “Welcoming City” ordinance and similar state laws are lawful and do not violate federal mandates. The decision marks a blow to the Trump Justice Department, which has aggressively pursued legal action against Democrat-led cities over their sanctuary policies.
In its February filing, the Trump administration argued that the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago were obstructing President Donald Trump’s efforts to enforce immigration law and carry out mass deportations.
The lawsuit specifically targeted local restrictions that prevent Chicago police and other city agencies from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with civil immigration enforcement. These policies, the administration contended, conflicted with the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause by undermining federal authority.
But Judge Jenkins rejected that argument, emphasizing that the Constitution reserves certain powers to states and local governments.
“Finding that these same policy provisions constitute discrimination or impermissible regulation would provide an end-run around the Tenth Amendment,” Jenkins wrote in her opinion. “It would allow the federal government to commandeer states under the guise of intergovernmental immunity — the exact type of direct regulation barred by the Tenth Amendment.”
Chicago’s ordinance, passed in 2012, prevents city employees and agencies from assisting federal immigration efforts. In 2017, the Illinois state legislature enacted the TRUST Act, a similar law limiting local collaboration with ICE unless a judicial warrant is present.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomed the ruling, stating it affirmed the city’s right to focus on protecting and serving its own residents.
“This ruling affirms what we have long known: that Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance is lawful and supports public safety,” Johnson said. “The City cannot be compelled to cooperate with the Trump administration’s reckless and inhumane immigration agenda.”
The Trump administration has launched a series of lawsuits against jurisdictions with sanctuary policies, including a recent suit against New York City, as well as legal challenges in New Jersey and Los Angeles.
In response to the New York filing, Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the administration’s stance: “If New York’s leaders won’t step up to protect their citizens, we will,” she posted on X.
Despite the setback in Illinois, the Trump administration is expected to continue its broader legal campaign against sanctuary jurisdictions, which it argues pose a threat to public safety and undermine federal immigration law.
