Amidst numerous legal challenges to Trump administration policies, the State of Illinois, City of Chicago and Cook County Government are facing a challenge of their own.  

A suit filed in federal court by the Department of Justice (DOJ) last week challenges sanctuary laws in the state, specifically naming the Illinois Way Forward Act, the Illinois TRUST Act, Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance and Cook County’s “Policy for Responding to ICE Detainers.”  

Some of these policies have been on the book for more than a decade and have even received Republican support in the past. The Illinois TRUST Act notably was signed in 2017 by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.