Illinois to Bondi: Sanctuary status stands firm

Politico

13 hours ago

Good Thursday morning, Illinois. My, how the days go by.
TOP TALKER
SANCTUARY STANDOFF: Attorney General Pam Bondi has found a new foil: Democrat-led states and cities that follow 'sanctuary' policies. Her message to Gov. JB Pritzker, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was blunt: 'This ends now.'
In letters sent to Illinois and leaders across the country, Bondi demanded they dismantle their sanctuary laws — or face prosecution. She gave leaders until Aug. 19 to prove they're 'complying with federal law' and to outline 'the immediate initiatives you are taking to eliminate laws, policies and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement.'
Illinois lawmakers are politely disagreeing with her take. Ann Spillane, general counsel to the governor, responded with a lawyerly jab that was both polite and pointed. Illinois, she noted, has long worked with federal law enforcement on efforts that are 'critical to effective criminal law enforcement.' Then she poked: 'Unfortunately, based on recent events, we have not observed that type of coordination with local law enforcement in Washington, D.C., or Los Angeles, California.'
At City Hall, Johnson's team said they first saw Bondi's letter floating around on social media. In a statement, the mayor's office emphasized the Chicago Police Department 'works every day to hold violent offenders accountable, regardless of their immigration status' and regularly partners with federal law enforcement 'on a wide variety of public safety efforts related to reducing violence and taking guns off our streets.'
Johnson's office also pushed back at the White House, saying, 'the mayor has repeatedly called for additional federal funding for the programs that work to reduce violent crime, including the release of the $800M+ in funding for violence prevention that was recently cut by the Trump administration.'
Bondi didn't let up on the drama. 'We're going to work with our other agencies to cut off their federal funding. We are going to send in law enforcement, just like we did during the L.A. riots, just like we're doing here in Washington, D.C.,' she told Fox Business. 'And if they're not going to keep their citizens safe, Donald Trump will keep them safe.'
Hyperbole aside, the courts have repeatedly upheld the rights of states to take a pass on helping federal immigration officials unless they have a warrant looking for known criminals.
A federal judge last month threw out the Trump administration's bid to force Illinois and Chicago to aid its mass deportation efforts, saying it would encroach on autonomy guaranteed to states under the Constitution.
Chicago Ald. Andre Vasquez, who chairs the City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, called the Trump administration's actions an 'overreach,' adding, 'Even if the court says that they can't do something, it doesn't mean they'll follow what the court says.'
On our homepage: Blue cities and states rebuff White House over immigration enforcement, via POLITICO
Related: The Adams County Sheriff has been cooperating with ICE. Does that violate Illinois law? WTTW's Blair Paddock reports
THE BUZZ
Making it official: State Sen. Willie Preston is running for Congress in the 2nd District. He announced Wednesday at the Skyway Bowl, a black-owned South Side bowling alley, before making stops in Danville and Kankakee.
'It's time to elect real working people to office whose lived experiences truly reflect the communities they serve,' Preston, a former union carpenter, said in his launch announcement.
Nothing to lose: Preston, a Democrat running for Congresswoman Robin Kelly's seat, has served in the Illinois General Assembly since 2023. He's not up for reelection in the state Senate until 2028. He has advocated for Black health and wellness, promoted apprenticeship programs and called on the governor to commute the sentence of Larry Hoover Sr. His launch video is here.
If you are Pam Bondi, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: [e-mail]
WHERE'S JB
At Sidetrack at 6:30 p.m. to accept the James Monroe Smith Founder Award from the Legal Council for Health Justice 'recognizing the state's efforts in advancing health equity and defending the rights of LGBTQ+ Illinoisans.'
WHERE's BRANDON
At the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at 11:45 a.m. for Senior Fest — At 2111 South Hamlin Avenue at 6:30 p.m. for the West Side People's Budget Townhall
Where's Toni
No official public events
Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a (gasp!) complaint? Email [e-mail]
BUSINESS OF POLITICS
— State board's $10M fine against Senate President Don Harmon for fundraising is 'ridiculous,' lawyer says: 'Democratic Party lawyer Michael Kasper, argued the elections board misinterpreted the law that allows candidates to collect unlimited contributions if anyone seeking the same office — themselves or an opponent — exceeds a so-called self-funding threshold,' by the Tribune's Dan Petrella.
— In IL-09: Sam Polan, a former policy adviser with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is running as a Democrat for Congress in the 9th District. He served in the Army Air Defense and was later selected for special operations and deployed three times to the Middle East.
'We are at an inflection point where our Democratic leaders have also failed us — failed to stop the Trump attacks, failed to put up candidates with fresh ideas that excite voters and failed to provide a clear vision,' Polan said in his launch announcement. 'We can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. We need a new generation of leadership.
— In IL-07: Danica Leigh, the former chief of staff of clinical affairs at the University of Chicago, is running on the Democratic ticket for Congress in the 7th District. In launching her bid, Leigh notes that she 'was fired' because of her political campaign. 'I'm running anyway because I don't believe we'll get through this moment in our country's history without personal sacrifice,' she said.
In a statement, the university said it 'does not comment on individual personnel matters' but acknowledged that it adheres to rules on conflict of interest that a 'candidacy for elected political office is generally incompatible with active full-time university employment.' The university may offer an employee who has decided to run for office the opportunity to take a leave of absence.
Leigh says the school offered her 'a narrowly-constructed leave of absence: it was to be unpaid, and the university repeatedly emphasized that it came with no job restoration guarantees. It was not materially different from a termination.'
— In the state Senate: Sen. Sara Feigenholtz has been endorsed by Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th), who said Feigenholtz 'was one of the first legislators to support me when I became the first openly gay Black man elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 2018. Her unwavering commitment to public service continues to inspire my work as alderman and chair of the Chicago City Council's LGBTQ Caucus.'
— COLUMN: Illinois Democrats may be kumbaya-ing now, but the nastiness is coming: Watch the marquee Senate race to get ugly, writes the Tribune's Laura Washington.
THE STATEWIDES
— State reps weigh transit rescue options ahead of fall veto session: A bipartisan group of state representatives met virtually Wednesday to discuss a mega-million-dollar shortfall looming for Metra, Pace and the CTA. The now weekly meeting will address what to do given federal Covid-19 aid dries up in 2026, by the Daily Herald's Marni Pyke.
— Large, AI-focused data centers threaten to drain water supplies, a Great Lakes advocacy group warns, by the Sun-Times' Brett Chase
CHICAGO
— Chicago doctors urge Covid shots for young children and reject CDC advice, joining pediatric academy: 'The Itasca-based American Academy of Pediatrics is strongly recommending COVID-19 shots for kids 6 months to 2 years,' by The Associated Press' Mike Stobbe and WBEZ's Araceli Gómez-Aldana
— Chicago Board of Education President Sean Harden challenges the district's new proposed budget: He's 'expressing doubts about its heavy reliance on revenue from special taxing districts to close a $734 million deficit,' by the Tribune's Nell Salzman and Kate Perez.
COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS
— Northwest suburban residents hotly debate transgender player on Conant H.S. girls volleyball team: 'Neither the district nor the board have addressed the issue publicly. They did not respond to comments either, but suggested those who had not had a chance to speak could email their thoughts or attend the next board meeting Sept. 18.' The meeting was so raucous, two women were kicked out for squabbling, by the Daily Herald's Eric Peterson.
— Lake County Treasurer's office employees move to unionize, with support by outgoing head Holly Kim, by the Lake County News-Sun's Joseph States.
— Will County Board member Jacqueline Traynere charged with computer tampering, by the Daily Southtown's Michelle Mullins
— OPINION: Community leaders say the Bears' impact matters more than their location, by Carlos Nelson, Michelle Rashad and Jahmal Cole in the Tribune
TAKING NAMES
— Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) has announced her office was selected as the winner for 'Excellence in Congressional Management' by the Congressional Management Foundation. Each year, the organization chooses just one Republican and one Democratic office between both the House and Senate for the recognition.
— New fellows: Dan Caldwell, former adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is among the fall fellows at University of Chicago Institute of Politics. Also participating: former Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola, former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Alex Wagner, Center for Constitutional Rights Executive Director Vince Warren and Yale Law School Chinese research scholar Yangyang Cheng.
Reader Digest
We asked for your wildest rainstorm story.
Russell Lissau: 'I survived Hurricane Andrew in 1992 ... and then contributed to the Miami Herald's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the historic storm.'
Ed Mazur: 'In West Rogers Park in the 1980s, we experienced a horrible rainstorm that flooded our basement and our newly installed tile floor all the way up to the second step of stairs. Our rumpus room furniture was destroyed.'
Terry Poulos: 'I was a child during the 1976 deluge that over-flooded the Des Plaines River and surrounding area. I was too short to walk in 4 feet of water through the parking lot to St. John's Church in Des Plaines, so I swam. My father, Dean, was parish council president and we were first on the scene. We piled up sandbags but it was futile. The water ultimately breached the altar but we did save many items including icons by placing them atop pews.'
Timothy Powell: 'In 2007, a microburst rolled down our street with estimated 110 MPH winds. Our next door neighbor's tree split in two, one half smashing our crabapple tree and the other half damaging our roof and chimney. A big branch poked a hole into our son's bedroom. It rained like crazy. The power was out for a week. Our basement had a foot of nasty sewer water and damage. It took three days to buy a generator and pump out the yucky goo.'
NEXT QUESTION: Is it better to start classes before Labor Day or after?
THE NATIONAL TAKE
— Texas' Republican-controlled House approves new maps to create more winnable GOP congressional seats, by The Associated Press
— Obama backs California effort to redraw districts in response to Texas, by POLITICO's Aaron Pellish
— The GOP's big problem in selling the 'big, beautiful bill,' by POLITICO's Jordain Carney
— Trump staffers cash in after 7-month stints in the White House, by POLITICO's Caitlin Oprysko and Sophia Cai
EVENTS
— Today at 9:30 a.m.: Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) and labor unions and veterans will hold a Congressional Oversight Forum on how Illinois veterans are being impacted by new federal policies. Live-stream on Facebook
— Tonight: Congresswoman Delia Ramirez will host a town hall with End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller and political content creator Raven Schwam-Curtis known as @RavenReveals. Details here
— Friday: Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun headlines a discussion about her memoir, 'Trailblazer.' At the DuSable Museum. Details here
TRIVIA
WEDNESDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Kevin Conlon for correctly answering that Abraham Lincoln Marovitz was the Chicago federal judge who when honored with a Horatio Alger Award for being a self-made man, said: 'I never met a self-made man or woman. The only thing you can do by yourself is fail.'
TODAY's QUESTION: Which Illinoisan served as the first secretary of Veterans Affairs? Email: [e-mail].
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Ald. Ronnie Mosley, Senior Circuit Court Judge Ilana Rovner, Chicago Public Schools Media Relations Executive Director Mary Ann Fergus, Chicago Public Schools Director of Digital Comms Jackie Rodgers, attorney Jonathan Leach, Mariano's branding exec Amanda Puck and Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt (who turns 106!)
-30-