protests in Chicago<\/a>, Gov. JB Pritzker told House Oversight committee members Thursday that Illinois isn\u2019t a place for violent criminals who lack legal status \u2014 and it will not tolerate \u201cviolations of the law or abuses of power.\u201d<\/p>\nThe Democratic governor also staunchly defended the state\u2019s TRUST Act, which was signed by his predecessor, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. The law bars law enforcement throughout the state from collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The city of Chicago has a similar ordinance in place.<\/p>\n
Pritzker started on a personal note, sharing the story of his great-grandfather\u2019s immigration to the United States from Ukraine \u2014 and shifted to the offensive against President Donald Trump\u2019s administration and its handling of protests in Los Angeles against Immigration Customs and Enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we are reminded in Los Angeles this week, we can all agree that violence of any kind, whomever it is directed at, is unacceptable. People must be held accountable to the law. Illinois follows the law, but let me clear, we expect the federal government to follow the law, too,\u201d Pritzker said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not participate in abuses of power. We will not violate court orders. We will not ignore the Constitution. We will not defy the Supreme Court. We will not take away people\u2019s right to peacefully protest. We also respect and expect this administration to respect the traditions and legal precedents that dictate how and when our National Guard and military are deployed,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s wrong to deploy the National Guard and active duty marines into an American city over the objection of local law enforcement just to inflame a situation and create a crisis, just as it\u2019s wrong to tear children away from their homes and their mothers and fathers, who have spent decades living and working in our communities, raising their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pritzker was summoned to appear before the GOP-led U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Thursday morning alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The goal is for U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the congressional committee, and other key Republicans on the committee to grill \u2014 and undoubtedly score some political points \u2014 about the Democrats\u2019 immigration policies.<\/p>\n
Pritzker provided the committee with a five-page opening statement, highlighting the state\u2019s response to the migrant crisis and touted decreasing crime numbers in Illinois, in an effort to tackle the unproven rhetoric that immigrants who lack legal status are a major source of violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cViolent criminals have no place on our streets; if they are undocumented, we want them out of Illinois and out of our country,\u201d Pritzker said. \u201cWhen the federal government has a judge-signed warrant for a criminal\u2019s arrest, we work to assist them, regardless of that criminal\u2019s immigration status. But what we will not do is participate in any violations of the law or abuses of power. We will uphold the law, and we will continue to prioritize precious local and state law enforcement resources for fighting crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
The governor pinned the crisis at the southern border on \u201csome\u201d border state governors and mayors who \u201cabandoned our nation\u2019s highest ideals \u2014 instead choosing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to treat people as pawns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pritzker blamed both Democrats and Republicans for lacking a comprehensive immigration policy, which he outlined in an October 2023 letter to President Joe Biden as a failure that \u201ccreated an unprecedented strain on Illinois\u2019s resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe state of Illinois chose a different path,\u201d Pritzker said. \u201cWith people\u2019s lives at stake \u2014 children, pregnant women, and the elderly who were sent to our state in the dead of night, dropped outside far from our designated intake and welcome centers, in freezing temperatures \u2014 and a federal government that was unwilling to address the national crisis in any meaningful way, we knew would could not simply ignore the suffering right in front of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The governor has been in Washington since Monday, preparing for his testimony with an outside law firm and a small group of trusted staffers<\/a>. Dana Remus, former White House counsel to President Joe Biden, was among those helping Pritzker prepare for the committee, with the billionaire governor paying for the services of Covington & Burling out of his own pocket.<\/p>\nSen. Tammy Duckworth on Wednesday said she expected Pritzker to call for upholding the Constitution and for comprehensive immigration reform. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019ll stand up for the values of Illinois. That we are a state that is welcoming, that\u2019s law-abiding. That is welcoming of people who want to be a part of our communities, and that we uphold law and order. But we also uphold the Constitution,\u201d Duckworth said. \u201cYes, we need to get rid of violent criminals, but at the same time, we shouldn\u2019t be ripping kids, American-born children, away from their moms.\u201d <\/p>\n
Developing, this story will be updated. Tina Sfondeles reporting from Washington, Mitchell Armentrout reporting from Chicago.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n