CWS Applauds Illinois Governor for Signing Trust Act Into Law


August 29, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 29, 2017
CONTACT: media@cwsglobal.org

Illinois Governor signs new law to protect communities and welcome immigrants.

Washington, D.C. – On Monday, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed the Illinois TRUST Act (P.L. 100-0463) into law, a milestone in ensuring due process protections for all community members. The TRUST Act restricts state and local law enforcement from collaborating with federal immigration officials to detain anyone without a judicial warrant. All of Illinois’s communities are safer when immigrant communities who can come forward to report dangerous situations or seek protection from violence without fearing the risk of deportation.

“Communities of faith celebrate Governor Rauner for signing the Illinois TRUST Act and standing with Illinois’s half-million undocumented brothers and sisters,” said Rev. Noel Andersen, National Grassroots Coordinator, Church World Service. “As our immigrant neighbors face an immigration dragnet and record-breaking deportations, it is critical that we live out our values and commitment to respecting the dignity of all people. Efforts to force local police to abandon community safety in the name of targeting undocumented immigrants reverse years of intentional, community-based policing efforts that are vital to public safety in neighborhoods across the nation. CWS encourages states and cities across the country to adopt inclusive policies, like the Illinois TRUST Act, so that immigrants can call police without fear of deportation all members of our communities are safe.”

In addition to prohibiting state and local officers from detaining, or continuing to detain, someone based solely on an immigration detainer or non-judicial warrant, the Illinois TRUST Act also prevents stopping, arresting, searching, detaining, or continuing to detain someone solely based on their immigration status or citizenship.

Faith communities across traditions have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our immigrant neighbors, opposing policies that would force local police to serve as immigration agents. We call on all states to adopt such laws and call on all elected leaders to champion policies that would create a path to citizenship for undocumented individuals in the United States.

Since 1946, Church World Service has supported refugees, immigrants and other displaced individuals, in addition to providing sustainable relief and development solutions to communities that wrestle with hunger and poverty. To learn more, please visit GreaterAs1.org.

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