Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul
** Download a broadcast quality video file of Attorney General Raoul’s remarks here.**
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Trump administration officials over the unlawful and dangerous tactics used by Customs and Border Protection (CPB) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Illinois. Illinois is joined by the city of Chicago in the case.
“Border Patrol agents and ICE officers have acted as occupiers rather than officers of the law,” Raoul said. “They randomly, and often violently, question residents. Without warrants or probable cause, they brutally detain citizens and non-citizens alike. They use tear gas and other chemical weapons against bystanders, injuring dozens, including children, the elderly and local police officers. I filed this lawsuit to stand up for the safety of the people of Illinois and the sovereignty of our state.”
“We have watched in horror as unchecked federal agents have aggressively assaulted and terrorized our communities and neighborhoods in Illinois, undermining Constitutional rights and threatening public safety,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “In the face of the Trump Administration’s cruelty and intimidation, Illinois is standing up against the attacks on our people. Today, Illinois is once again taking Donald Trump to court to hold his administration accountable for their unlawful tactics, unnecessary escalations, and flagrant abuses of power.”
“The Trump administration has repeatedly violated the law and undermined public trust,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “These actions weren’t just unlawful; they were cruel, needlessly inflicting fear and harm on our communities. My administration will forcefully protect our residents’ rights and hold anyone accountable who abuses their power. Nobody is above the law. This lawsuit is about ensuring there is accountability for the lawless actions of the Trump administration and justice for the Chicagoans who have been wronged.”
Attorney General Raoul filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois – Eastern Division. The complaint describes the various ways the Trump administration has attempted to coerce Illinois over policy differences, including by unlawfully withholding federal funds and attempting to deploy the Illinois and Texas National Guards in the state. In September 2025, DHS deployed quasi-military personnel from CBP and ICE to Illinois, initiating a campaign of violent terror targeted at the state and its residents.
The lawsuit notes that, for decades, federal immigration agents enforced immigration laws in Chicago without significant interruption to public order and safety. Since being deployed to Illinois in September, CPB and ICE agents have killed one Illinois resident, shot another, and conducted a military raid on a Chicago apartment building, detaining all its residents, including children. Agents have arrested hundreds without warrants, randomly questioned hundreds more, and unleashed chemical weapons upon law-abiding, peaceful residents. The lawsuit documents several individual examples of such unlawful tactics being used to terrorize the people of Illinois.
As a result of the fear and chaos created by these tactics, local schools have gone into lockdown, social service organizations have had to reduce their services, and courthouse operations have been increasingly hindered, as Illinoisans have been intimidated from accessing courthouses, medical facilities and schools. Illinoisans and tourists alike fear going about their daily lives. Local businesses and economies have suffered, and declining sales have led to losses in tax revenues.
Raoul assert that the federal government has attacked Illinois’ ability to carry out its core sovereign functions — to regulate public health, uphold a system of education for Illinois residents, support the state’s economy, provide public safety and administer its judicial system, enforce state statutes, implement state programs, and ensure that Illinois residents receive the full benefits of state and federal law.
Raoul argues that this assault on the state’s sovereignty is a violation of the Tenth Amendment and violates the Administrative Procedure Act many times over.
Raoul also argues that DHS adopted illegal enforcement policies that harm Illinois residents, including:
Raoul is asking the court to order federal agents authorized to enforce immigration law in Illinois to stop using tactics that exceed their statutory authority granted by Congress, including dispersing tear gas and other noxious chemicals without warning against persons who are not resisting, scanning the biometric information of Illinois residents, and entering private property without a warrant or permission of the owner. Raoul is asking the court to require written documentation of the basis for questioning Illinois residents regarding their immigration status and the basis for the conclusion that agents were authorized to make warrantless arrests.
Raoul is also requesting a prohibition on enforcement activities in or near courthouses, schools, hospitals and other sensitive locations, except in extenuating circumstances and with safeguards. In addition, Raoul is asking that the court require that all CBP and ICE vehicles have visible, accurate license plates, and only the plates properly assigned and registered to each vehicle.
If Raoul’s request for judgment is granted, he is asking that the court monitor the defendants’ compliance.
