immigration

Emotions ran high at Tuesday night's forum on whether the Winnebago County Jail should open its doors to federal immigration inmates.

Sheriff Gary Caruana is in negotiations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who want to house immigrants with felonies awaiting deportation in unused sections of the jail.

In exchange for housing their inmates in a segregated area of the jail, Caruana wants veto power on who is housed, the option to withdraw from the agreement in 30 days, and $80 per inmate per day.

Illinois’ population losses are frequently cited in debates over the state’s tax rates and business laws.
Last year, Census figures show it was tied for the greatest rate of people leaving the state.

But Sarah Crane, with Moody’s Analytics, says a federal immigration crackdown could make it even worse.

"Any policies that severely curtail immigration will hurt the state's population growth even more than expected, in addition to labor force growth.”

The Illinois Senate's leader is promoting legislation he says will protect immigrants from Trump administration actions.

Several immigrant and anti-crime groups and labor unions joined Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago on Monday to unveil legislation he calls the TRUST act. It would bar law enforcement agencies in Illinois from helping in immigration actions unless federal authorities present a warrant from a judge.

It also would bar federal agents from state-funded schools or health institutions unless they have a court-issued warrant.

President Donald Trump’s order to deport immigrants living in the U.S. illegally left many undocumented people and their families feeling unsettled.

In response, immigrant rights advocates are mobilizing to spread information about how to better prepare for encounters with immigration officials.

“Fear debilitates you,” community organizer Jorge Mujica said. “We are in a full campaign against fear. Good information organizes, so what we are doing is giving people good information.”