Immigration 'Safe Zones' Bill Headed For Vote

APRIL 5 UPDATE: The Illinois Trust Act passed out of the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday. Co-sponsor and candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor Sen. Daniel Biss said the bill is likely to be voted on by the full Senate. Gov. Bruce Rauner is still reviewing the bill, according to a spokesperson.

"Illinois is a welcoming and diverse state, and the Governor believes in comprehensive immigration reform," the governor's spokesperson said.

“Every day, state and local police throughout Illinois try to foster trust – not fear and suspicion – with immigrants in their communities so that they can protect people, solve crimes and keep the lines of communication open,” Biss said.

CHICAGO, IL — A new Senate bill to protect undocumented immigrants in Illinois is up for a vote this week. Along with a similar bill in the House, the new laws would provide new requirements and restrictions for state and local law enforcement officers in Illinois.

The Senate version is scheduled for a Wednesday hearing in the Executive Committee, while the House version awaits a hearing in the Rules Committee.

Known as the Illinois Trust Act, the legislation would stop law enforcement officers from enforcing federal immigration detention requests or cooperating with federal immigration agents who have not obtained a criminal warrant.

It also restricts federal immigration agents from searching inside state-supported medical or educational facilities for immigrants by creating "safe zones" around such locations.

Further, no officers from local agencies would be allowed to be deputized by federal authorities in the course of an investigation without getting a warrant.

The Trust Act would also prohibit any state government entities from participating in any future registry based on immigration status, religion or ethnicity. President Trump advocated for a database of Muslim immigrants during his 2016 campaign, although no such registry exists.

More practically, the bill would solve a problem that does exist by requiring police properly certify when crime victims and witnesses cooperate with an investigation.

Under federal law, immigrants who are witnesses or victims of certain crimes can apply for special temporary visas. Applications for these visas require one of the law enforcement agencies with which the immigrant is cooperating to provide documentation.

Fred Tsao, Senior Policy Counsel of the Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), said many police and prosecutors do not fill out the paperwork to help those that are helping them.

"Unfortunately what's been happening too often is that those agencies are not responding to those requests, basically leaving the applicants high and dry and unable to move forward with their applications."

ICIRR and Senate Democrats held a press conference in Chicago Monday to promote the bill. At the event, Sen. Iris Martinez said increased fear in immigrant communities has quickly emptied out business districts in some of Chicago's neighborhoods with significant Latino population.

ICIRR said calls to its family support hotline spiked in the past week following a the shooting of a man on the Northwest Side of Chicago by federal immigration agents.

The Senate bill is a floor amendment to SB 31, introduced by Senate President John Cullerton, who spoke in support of the bill at the press conference.

Watch full video of the ICIRR event below:

Top photo courtesy of Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights