The Justice Department sued the governor and attorney general of Illinois on Monday in an effort to strike down a new state law that limits federal immigration enforcement.
The law, signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in early December, prevents immigration officers from making arrests outside courthouses and makes it easier for Illinois residents to sue immigration agents if they believe their rights have been violated. The measure was passed by the Democratic majority in the state legislature in October.
Democrats in Illinois said the law was a necessary response to an immigration crackdown in Chicago that has led to thousands of arrests and clashes between residents and federal agents.
The federal lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Illinois, is the latest legal action by the Trump administration against states that have sought to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The Justice Department sued California in November over two state laws that bar federal law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings and require them to display their identification during operations.
On Monday, the Justice Department said in a statement that the Illinois law was an illegal attempt to regulate the federal government, and that it placed immigration agents in physical harm and at financial risk. A person found to have violated the law would be liable for at least $10,000 in damages.
“Threatening officers with ruinous liability and even punitive damages for executing federal law and for simply protecting their identities and their families also chills the enforcement of federal law and compromises sensitive law enforcement operations,” the Justice Department said.
Representatives for Governor Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul of Illinois did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours.
Other state lawmakers have also experimented with allowing private residents to enforce the law through lawsuits. In Texas, abortion law allows residents to sue medical providers who violate the state’s restrictions.
Earlier this month, Democratic lawmakers in New York introduced legislation that would bar federal agents from detaining, without a warrant, anyone attending a hearing at an immigration court.
California lawmakers have proposed, but not enacted, similar expansions of civil liability for federal officers.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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