The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) joined Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, state legislators, and partners today for the signing of HB 1312, an omnibus bill strengthening due process protections for Illinois communities who continue to be targeted by the Trump administration’s unlawful immigration operations.
A critical provision of the bill, championed by Illinois Senator Celina Villanueva and Representative Norma Hernandez, prohibits civil immigration arrests in and around Illinois state courthouses, protecting Illinoisans’ due process rights and the integrity of our state judicial system. The full omnibus bill was led by chief sponsors Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch. NIJC celebrates the General Assembly’s strong support for the bill, sending a clear message that Illinois communities will continue to stand up and defend our immigrant residents against inhumane actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies.
“The fear of being abducted by federal immigration agents when attending a hearing in state court is disrupting people’s ability to engage with the justice system for critical matters, such as seeking a protection order in a domestic violence situation or addressing a traffic ticket,” said Cecilia Mendoza, NIJC associate director of government relations. “We must use every tool available to protect our communities from the unlawful actions of the Trump administration. NIJC continues to litigate to enforce laws that prohibit federal officers from taking community members in our courts and our streets without due process. This bill is a necessary legislative step to defend people’s constitutional rights.”
In addition to prohibiting civil arrests at state courthouses, HB 1312 includes provisions that restrict patient and student personally identifiable information from being shared with federal immigration and law enforcement agencies or agents; requires hospitals, public universities, community colleges, and day care centers to establish procedures on how to handle civil immigration enforcement; and provides Illinoisans the ability to seek justice when their constitutional rights were knowingly violated by any person conducting civil immigration enforcement.