LITCHFIELD — Yesterday, the Sheriffs of Kankakee, McHenry, Ogle, and Stephenson Counties filed suit in the Northern District Court of Illinois seeking to invalidate the Trust Act, which limits local law enforcement's ability to coordinate with federal officials regarding the custody of illegal aliens. In response to the court filing, State Representative Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville) issued the following statement:
“I support the sheriffs' lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Trust Act. I opposed the Trust Act when lawmakers passed it in 2017 because there were many concerns about how the legislation would negatively impact public safety and endanger our communities. Our concerns were rightly founded when the Illinois Department of Corrections, ordered by Governor Pritzker's Administration in January, severely limited the ability of state and local law enforcement to transfer dangerous illegal alien felons into the custody of federal immigration authorities. Now, rather than transferring these dangerous felons into federal custody, they are being released into Illinois communities upon completion of their prison sentences. That is unacceptable.
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"We should not be interfering with federal authorities’ ability to do their jobs and enforce federal immigration law. If the Pritzker Administration is using the Trust Act as a justification to violate federal law and inhibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from carrying out their duties, then the Trust Act should be invalidated. I agree with the sheriffs that Illinois law enforcement officers must have the ability to respond to immigration detainers issued by federal immigration officers. Detainers are vital to keeping our communities safe, particularly communities in the 95th District that have Correctional Facilities like Taylorville and Hillsboro."
The press release announcing the lawsuit can be found HERE. The text of the court filing can be found HERE.
