We have seen an increased presence of Immigration enforcement in our communities. It is important that everyone knows their rights when dealing with ICE. My office has compiled resources and can help connect you with organizations that can help if a loved one was detained. If you need Know Your Rights Cards, please reach out to my office and we can help you obtain some.

The ICIRR Family Support Network Hotline (FSN) can connect immigrant families to social services, legal aid, financial assistance, and more. It can also be used to report ICE activity and can support locating someone in ICE custody. The FSN can be reached at: 1-855-435-7693

Know Your Rights in Illinois

The TRUST Act:

The TRUST Act was established in 2017 to separate local policing from federal civil immigration enforcement, allowing immigrants to seek help from local police without risking deportation. Crafted and championed by the Campaign for a Welcoming Illinois, this legislation protects the people by directing Illinois police to focus on crimes, not status. Officers may not stop, search, arrest, detain, or hold someone past release solely due to their immigration or citizenship status, and they may not honor ICE detainers or administrative (non-judge-signed) warrants. By removing civil immigration from routine policing, the law encourages victims and witnesses—especially survivors of violence and community members with mixed-status families—to feel comfortable with filing reports and cooperating with local law. In 2021, Illinois strengthened these protections through the Way Forward Act, which reversed harmful immigration laws that have historically resulted in the disproportionate incarceration and deportation of immigrants and people of color. The WFA resists against federal agendas by banning immigration detention in Illinois through ending and forbidding ICE jail contracts, and barring local law enforcement from inquiring about immigration status. The TRUST act works to establish a public-safety system built on trust and reporting rather than fear.

Safe Schools for All:

Safe Schools for All was signed into law in 2025 to ensure our schools remain a safe place for all students to learn. This legislation prohibits exluding students and their parents from schools and school programs based on immigration status. It also restricts disclosing, and threatening to disclose, anything related to immigration status of students and their families. Safe Schools for All empowers families to defend their rights, and requires schools to craft policies and procedures for ICE and other law enforcement actions at schools and school facilities.

The Safety and Action for Liberation Together (SALT) Act (Pending Governor’s Signature):

The SALT Act was passed in the 2025 Veto Session to expand civil protections for people when dealing with Immigration enforcement. It includes:

• HB 1312 bans civil arrests at and near courthouses, reaffirming a centuries-old legal privilege for an age of intensified civil immigration enforcement. This language is supported by over 80 legal and community organizations.

• HB 1312 adopts protections for people accessing care in hospitals, including restrictions on sharing of patient data, requirements that hospitals implement and train their staff regarding procedures on how to handle civil immigration activity.  

• HB 1312 includes safeguards against disclosure of personal information and requirements that schools have procedures to handle immigration enforcement operations on campus and provide access to know-your-rights materials and trainings.

• HB 1312 includes restrictions on disclosure of immigration status information and requirements for procedures to address immigration enforcement at daycare centers.

• HB 1312 provides an important mechanism for holding ICE and CBP accountable for their cavalier behavior, providing a clearer avenue for people to seek justice for unlawful arrests and detention.