Hirschauer Backs Landmark Bill to Protect Immigrant Families and Uphold Constitutional Rights

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-West Chicago, passed a sweeping civil rights and community-protection bill last Friday to safeguard immigrant families and defend due process in the face of escalating immigration enforcement actions.

“We took a stand against the violence, the fear, and the trauma that has been unfairly and unlawfully unleashed onto our communities—a war inflicted to divide, dehumanize and silence so many Illinoisans,” said Hirschauer.

House Bill 1312 strengthens constitutional protections across Illinois by creating clear guardrails for civil immigration enforcement and ensuring that essential community spaces—hospitals, courthouses, universities, and licensed daycare centers—remain safe and accessible to all residents, regardless of immigration status. The bill further empowers individuals to seek justice when their constitutional rights, including those under the Fourth Amendment, are violated.

The legislation creates new pathways for accountability, allowing individuals to bring civil actions against civil law enforcement who violate their constitutional rights while engaging in civil immigration enforcement. House Bill 1312 also establishes policies that ensure state- licensed facilities and public campuses respond lawfully and responsibly to immigration activities, while protecting the privacy and dignity of those they serve.

“No one should fear losing their child, parent or loved ones to unaccountable, masked men. And particularly, no one in Illinois seeking care in a hospital room, justice from inside a courthouse, or simply picking up their toddler from daycare should ever be hunted down without due process. That is our constitutional right—a right we successfully affirmed—but should never have to. I’m honored to be a part of this historic legislation that finally draws the line on Trump’s unlawful actions.”

House Bill 1312 now moves to the Governor’s desk.