* Click here to read the governor’s opening remarks and click here to watch the hearing…
* Daily Herald…
In congressional testimony Thursday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker accused U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of terrorizing the state’s schools, neighborhoods and families.
Pritzker also said he’s proud of how Illinois has responded to what he called a “broken immigration system,” saying the state has promoted public safety, treated people with dignity and respected the rule of law. […]
In a more than 4-minute opening statement, Pritzker testified violent crime is down in Illinois and said violent criminals have no place on its streets.
“And if they are undocumented, I want them out of Illinois and out of our country,” Pritzker said.
Pritzker spoke of his family’s immigrant roots, telling the committee about how his great-grandfather came to the U.S. to escape persecution of Jews in Ukraine. He went on to say Illinoisans value what he called “the most American ideal of all — that where your life began matters far less than the reams you can realize here for yourself and your family.”
* Sun-Times…
Many Republican lawmakers repeatedly suggested that sanctuary policies protect immigrants who commit violent crimes and inhibit ICE’s ability to carry out its job.
Mark Fleming, associate director of litigation at the Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center, said the Trust Act does not stop ICE from doing immigration enforcement in the state.
“Under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, it’s not the responsibility nor is it a requirement that local law enforcement help enforce a federal regulatory program,” Fleming said. “States like Illinois have decided that it’s not in their best interest. That in reality, it harms public safety because people are scared to come to the police when they’re witnesses and victims of crime for fear that some sort of collateral immigration consequence may result from it.”
Jaime Dominguez, associate professor of political science at Northwestern University, said the Trust Act falls within the scope of a state’s right, and that Illinois legally does not have to carry out the responsibility of the federal government.
* NBC Chicago…
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker didn’t mince words when asked about the possibility of being targeted for arrest by Trump administration officials over the state’s immigration policies. […]
“I have the highest duty to protect the people of my state, and if Tom Homan were to try to arrest me, I can say first of all, he can try,” Pritzker said. “I can also tell you that I will stand in the way of Tom Homan going after people who don’t deserve to be frightened in their communities, who don’t deserve to be threatened or terrorized. I would rather he come and arrest me than do that to the people of my state.”
Pritzker and Homan have been at odds before. In the leadup to Trump’s inauguration, Homan spoke at a conference in Phoenix and said that Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson needed to cooperate with the federal government, or face consequences.
“Put up all the roadblocks you want, because we’ll knock them down,” he said.
* WTTW…
U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), the committee’s chair, began the hearing by decrying the death of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who was killed in a January car crash. Julio Cucul Bol, who authorities said entered in country with false documents, has been charged in connection with Abraham’s death.
Comer accused Pritzker of turning Chicago into a “haven for drugs and crimes” by protecting undocumented immigrants from deportation. However, homicides dropped 28% during the first five months of 2025, and the number of shootings dropped 35%, as compared with the first five months of 2024, city records show.
Comer accused all three governors of prioritizing “criminal illegal aliens over the American people.”
* Tribune…
Because the Oversight Committee is a contentious forum with partisan firebrands competing for attention the panel’s hearings often devolve into side political skirmishes. That happened Thursday between Pritzker and Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill when he asked the Illinois governor, “Do you think biological men should be using women’s restrooms?”
“I’m not sure how this has to do with immigration,” Pritzker responded. Gill noted Pritzker used social media to urge people to use the other gender’s restroom as a protest to Trump rescinding protections for transgender youth.
“Have you ever used the women’s restroom?” Gill then asked Pritzker. “Not that I recall,” the Illinois governor responded.
“Did you ever consider that women don’t want you in their bathrooms?” Gill said.
During the debate, Pritzker said to the congressman, “So you’re admitting that this is just a political circus,” in response to the questions.
* Sun-Times…
Almost two hours into the hearing, GOP Texas Rep. Brandon Gill went on the offensive against Pritzker with rapid-fire questions ranging from the cost of providing health care to people in Illinois without legal status, to whether the governor supports Hamas.
“Sir, I do not. They are a terrorist organization,” Pritzker responded. “I have spent my life fighting antisemitism… I know Republicans want to take away people’s right to free speech. We don’t in Illinois.”
* Meanwhile…
* And a sideshow…
Also from Sen. Chesney..
State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) joined a group of conservative Illinois lawmakers in Washington D.C. on Thursday for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as Congressional legislators grilled Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and two other Governors about the impact of Sanctuary State policies on their states.
“Governor Pritzker is a master at twisting words, deflecting facts, and rewriting narratives to suit his own political purposes,” said Chesney. “I came here to set the record straight and speak for the families who are suffering under Pritzker’s woke agenda and failed sanctuary state policies.”
Joining Governor Pritzker on the panel of Sanctuary State Governors were Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
“Governor Pritzker, in his efforts to gain national headlines, has turned Illinois into a safe haven for illegal immigrant criminals who are terrorizing our communities,” Chesney said. “Pritzker is more interested in appealing to liberal elites than protecting Illinois families. His failed sanctuary state policies have cost the taxpayers of Illinois billions, and he will do anything to grab the national spotlight, even at the expense of the citizens he claims to represent.”
* More…
…Adding… This could complicate matters…
A northwest suburban police department illegally shared automatic license plate reader information with a Texas sheriff searching for a woman who got an abortion, according to Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.
Mount Prospect police have also shared license plate data in hundreds of immigration-related cases in violation of a state law that took effect last year, Giannoulias’ office says — and they’re probably not alone among Illinois departments cooperating with out-of-state law enforcement when they shouldn’t be. […]
A further probe found Mount Prospect plate data was accessed in 262 immigration-related matters during the first few months of this year alone. The violations could block the suburb from state grant funding.
