Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed a sweeping bill aimed at further shielding illegal immigrants in the state from deportation, creating new safeguards at courthouses, hospitals, day cares and university campuses to limit civil immigration enforcement.
Pritzker signed HB 1312 at Chicago’s Little Village alongside bill sponsors, officials, and community advocates.
“With my signature today, we are protecting people and institutions that belong here in Illinois. Dropping your kid off at day care, going to the doctor, or attending your classes should not be a life-altering task,” said Pritzker in a press release. “Illinois — in the face of cruelty and intimidation — has chosen solidarity and support. Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, and Gregory Bovino have tried to appeal to our lesser instincts. But the best of us are standing up to the worst of them.”
HB 1312 creates new protections across Illinois institutions most impacted by civil immigration enforcement.
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BORDER PATROL CHIEF FIRES BACK AFTER PRITZKER CALLS FEDERAL OPERATIONS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL INVASION’
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks during a press conference amid reports of federal deployments to Chicago Sept. 2, 2025. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)
The law allows people to sue officers if they believe their constitutional rights were violated. It prohibits civil arrests in and around courthouses for those attending certain state proceedings, and strengthens privacy rules at hospitals by requiring policies governing interactions with law enforcement.
It also restricts universities and day care centers from sharing a person’s immigration status unless required by law, and compels them to adopt protocols for handling federal agents by early 2026.
Residents confront federal agents and Border Patrol agents over their presence in their neighborhood on Atlantic Blvd. in the Los Angeles suburb of Bell. (Getty Images)
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“If Pritzker the Slob focused on fixing crime in his own state instead of defending criminal illegal aliens, Illinois residents would be much safer,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Cracking down on crime and deporting dangerous criminal illegal aliens should not be a partisan issue, but Democrats suffering from TDS are trying to make it one, all at the expense of the Americans they are elected to serve.”
LARGEST EVER ICE OPERATION RESULTS IN NEARLY 1,500 ILLEGALS ARRESTED IN BLUE STATES
President Donald Trump told CBS News in November that he believes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids “haven’t gone far enough” when asked about the federal agency’s tactics that have sparked protests and lawsuits.
The Trump administration has conducted immigration raids across major U.S. cities as part of the president’s campaign pledge of mass deportations, though the White House maintains agents are targeting only criminal migrants considered the “worst of the worst.”
Fox News previously reported that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, senior adviser Corey Lewandowski and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino have pushed for a broader and more aggressive immigration enforcement approach, targeting anyone in the U.S. illegally to boost deportation numbers.
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Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, told Fox News Digital that Pritzker must be “unfamiliar with the US Constitution.”
“Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution, still clearly states: ‘This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof … shall be the supreme Law of the Land.’”
“By signing this law, Pritzker violated the Supremacy Clause, his oath he took as Governor to ‘support the Constitution of the United States’ — which itself falls under the oaths clause of the Constitution,” said McLaughlin. “We hope the headlines, social media likes, and fundraising emails he did this for are worth it!”
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Thursday said the Trump administration is doubling down on security in Chicago and Portland and is looking at purchasing more buildings for federal law enforcement to operate out of in both cities. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters; Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Trump told CBS News he believes his immigration mission will be complete once “many” of roughly 25 million people are deported.
“Well, it takes a long time, because, you know, probably I say 25 million people were let into our country. A lotta people say it was 10 million people. But whether it was ten or – I believe I’m much closer to the right number,” he said. “Of the 25, many of them should not be here. Many of them.”
Detroit Public Schools Community District hosting 5th annual alumni event
DETROIT – Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) will host their fifth annual alumni event.
On May 16, the foundation will host their Tyrone E. Winfrey Hall of Fame Alumni Gala.
The Gala honors distinguished DPSCD alumni who have made a major impact in our community and beyond.
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The night is a celebration of Detroit’s success stories and a fundraiser to create new opportunities for the next generation of students.
Organizers say there will be a major live announcement aimed at helping Detroit High School students build brighter futures.
Kerrie Mitchell, the president and CEO of the DPSCD Foundation, joined Local 4 Live to talk more about the gala, the foundation’s mission and what the announcement could mean for students across the city.
You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.
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MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers is returning to Riverwalk Commons at the Milwaukee Public Market this Saturday, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The free event features a flower market with vendors selling fresh flowers, art, and handmade goods, along with live music on the Riverwalk Common stage.
Milwaukee Public Market
A new floral art installation from Botanical Collective will also be on display, serving as a photo opportunity for attendees. The installation builds on a similar display from last year’s event.
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WATCH: Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers returns for a second year with new additions
Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers returns for second year with new additions
“So things that you might have seen last year are absolutely coming back. We have free live music on the Riverwalk Common stage. We have a flower market with vendors selling fresh flowers, art, handmade goods, all of that really fun stuff. Then we also have Botanical Collective last year made this beautiful floral art installation that also acted as a photo op. This year it’s going to look a little different, so we’re really excited to see what they put together,” said Paige Hammond with the Milwaukee Public Market.
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Milwaukee Public Market
Also new this year, the festival will kick off with a free yoga class at 11 a.m. Attendees are asked to bring their own mat.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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“You will expose yourself to things that most of the public won’t see, except maybe once in their life. But yep, we’re doing it. Fire departments are doing it on a very regular basis,” said Mike Dobesh, president of MNFire, an organization dedicated to keeping firefighters healthy, mentally and physically, and on the job.
“The fire service is recognizing that any of those unexpected events that we go to, yes, we sign up to do it, but at the same time, those unexpected events can cause trauma; that trauma can lead to PTSD,” Dobesh said.
However, paying for all those firefighters on mandatory PTSD leave is putting the Minneapolis Fire Department in the red. It’s all the overtime needed to fill in for the firefighters on leave.
“From the therapists that I’ve talked to, usually eight to 10 visits can get that firefighter back on the rig,” Dobesh said, which is the goal of the mandatory leave with treatment. “But then it’s going to be something that’s going to have to be managed for the… probably the rest of their career, because it’s not something that’s just going to go away.”
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Dobesh says that PTSD was the number one claim MNFire had on its critical illness policy last year.
In 2023, Minnesota lawmakers created the PTSD leave policy in an effort to keep firefighters from applying for permanent duty disability benefits. The policy requires firefighters and other first responders to take up to 32 weeks of paid leave and get treatment first.
“A trauma-informed therapist can meet with a firefighter, desensitize that firefighter, get them back to work,” Dobesh said.
But that policy is costing some fire departments millions. The Minneapolis Fire Department told the city council this week that 7% to 8% of its firefighters are currently out on PTSD leave, and the overtime other firefighters are working to fill in for them has put the department up to $7 million over budget in recent years. It’s projected to go over again this year.
So what are things they can do to maybe prevent some of these problems that they’re having because of PTSD? Speed up access to treatment, according to Dobesh.
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“The sooner we can get in and have that firefighter seen, the more likely they’re going to have a very positive outcome and get back on the job,” he said.
Dobesh says if and when a firefighter needs help varies from person to person, but his organization provides five free treatment sessions for any firefighter who’s struggling.
Minnesota firefighters can call MnFIRE’s helpline 24/7 at 888-784-6634 or visit mnfirehealth.org.
MFD Interim Chief Melanie Rucker shared the following statement late Wednesday night:
“The utilization of these leaves is often unavoidable and reflects benefits that support the health and well-being of our fire personnel. We take the health and wellness very seriously, including mental health. Through transparent communication with leadership regarding evolving staffing needs and necessary overtime budget adjustments, we can effectively address the budget overages and return to a sustainable path forward.”
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Click here to watch the Minneapolis Budget Committee meeting on May 4.
