By: Ashmar Mandou

Community advocates, on Wednesday rallied outside the Thompson Center calling on Governor Bruce Rauner to sign the Safe Zones Act, SB35, which would create an additional line of defense against President Trump’s agenda of family separation. The rally coincided with a preliminary hearing taking place in Texas, Texas v. Nielsen, a case that challenges the lawfulness of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and could eliminate it entirely, putting some 46,000 Illinois residents at risk of deportation.

“The Illinois Safe Zones Act would help provide security in sensitive locations throughout Illinois for immigrant families,” said Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), chief sponsor of the bill. “This bill will make people feel safer in their everyday lives taking their children to school or the doctor. While every immigrant is now a target for deportation, this provides added safety in our communities. Our diverse immigrant history is what defines Illinois, and we need to make the state welcoming for everyone. I hope this bill provides some measure of security for our immigrant residents.”

If signed, the Safe Zones would direct the Attorney General’s office to develop policies to protect Illinoisans against unwarranted federal immigration raids, arrests, and questioning. The guidelines would be published by the Attorney General by April 1, 2019. The full list of safe spaces include state-funded schools, day care centers and preschools, hospitals, health clinics, emergency and urgent care facilities, nursing homes, group homes for the disabled and mental health facilities, libraries, facilities operated by the Secretary of State, and courthouses.

Earlier this summer, the Illinois House passed Senate Bill 35, the Illinois Safe Zones Act. Senate Bill 35 passed the Senate 31-16 on May 2, 2018, and the House with a vote of 62-53 on May 30, 2018. “Studies have shown that the stress that comes with immigration raids and arrests within a family can affect the behavioral health of children,” said Lawrence Benito, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “We are committed to working for the health and safety of immigrants in Illinois, and this bill is one piece of the puzzle in this tumultuous political climate.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s official policy is to not conduct enforcement activities in “sensitive locations” such as school, preschools, daycares, and medical treatment facilities like emergency rooms, but the policy is non-binding. Enforcement activities include arrests, interviews, searches or surveillance. “This policy is critical at a time when ICE is terrorizing our community and arresting people in sensitive locations such as patients from hospitals and parents dropping their children off at school,” said Mony-Ruiz Velasco, Executive Director of PASO – West Suburban Action Project. “Over half a million Illinois residents are less safe because of these policies. SB 35 ensures our communities have meaningful access to schools, hospitals and courthouses without fearing deportation.”