Chicago, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – They’re calling it “overreach” — the recent efforts of ICE and other agencies to try and remove allegedly illegal immigrants from Illinois.

The State of Illinois and the City of Chicago are taking the feds to court for it — the latest in a series of lawsuits Illinois Attorney General Kwame is, at least, a part of.  The lawsuit was announced and filed Monday in Federal Court in the Northern District of Illinois.  CLICK HERE to read the suit (pdf document).

“Border Patrol agents and ICE officers have acted as occupiers rather than officers of the law,” Raoul said, in a news release. “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.”

The suit names ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and the department of Homeland Security, among others.  That included Greg Bovino, the man considered to be the public face of some of the immigration raids in places like Chicago and Minneapolis, among others.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is supportive of the lawsuit, according to its own statement.

“The lawsuit alleges that federal agents engaged in unlawful activities within Illinois, including swapping or altering license plates. Illinois law strictly prohibits masking, swapping or altering license plates on any vehicle registered in the state,” said Giannoulias’ office, in the statement.  “The lawsuit asserts the state’s right to enforce its own laws and protect public safety against unlawful federal conduct within its borders.”

Raoul’s lawsuit, if successful, asks for oversight to be done, in order to make sure the administration complies.

“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 his own statement. “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 State of Illinois has already been considered successful in court against the administration, after federal judges blocked the Trump Administration from deploying the National Guard in support of allegations of rampant crime.  The City of Chicago claims shootings, homicides, and other violent crimes dropped in 2025, and were declining prior to any federal deployment, according to the Chicago Police Office of Inspector General.

Since the start of 2026, however, the Chicago Tribune reports ten people have died by homicide.