Andrade Backing Effort to Unify Immigrant Communities and Local Law Enforcement

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is supporting a proposal to foster trust between local law enforcement and immigrant communities, giving undocumented immigrants with no criminal backgrounds peace of mind.

“The heated rhetoric and divisive policies that have been pushed by the Trump administration are counter to everything that I believe is great about our country,” Andrade said. “This measure reassures Illinois’ immigrant communities that intolerance will not be tolerated in our state.”

Andrade is sponsoring Senate Bill 31, known as the Illinois TRUST Act, which would set reasonable limits on local law enforcement from engaging in the enforcement of federal immigration policies by:

• Barring local police from engaging with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents without a court-issued warrant,
• Barring federal agents from making arrests in state-funded schools and health facilities,
• Banning participation in a federal registry based on country of origin or religion, and
• Strengthening legal protections for immigrant victims of crimes.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), immigrant communities are more likely to report crimes and cooperate with police if they trust their immigration status will not be made an issue. Communities with more welcoming policies also show lower crime rates as undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born citizens. With Senate Bill 31, Illinois now joins 14 other state legislatures and the District of Columbia in introducing welcoming legislation to address the growing safety concerns in immigrant communities.

“This proposal will help forge a bond of trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement, making our neighborhoods safer for everyone,” Andrade said. “It’s important that Illinois sends a strong message to President Trump that we will fight against his hateful, divisive administration. I urge Governor Rauner to publicly support this proposal and stand with Illinois’ immigrant communities.”

Senate Bill 31 has been assigned to the House Executive Committee, and awaits consideration.