Buckeye Reporter

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is leading 23 state attorneys general in supporting the federal government's legal challenge against sanctuary immigration policies in Illinois. The group has filed an amicus brief in the case United States of America v. State of Illinois, arguing that Illinois, along with Chicago and Cook County, contravened the Constitution by enacting laws that prevent federal immigration agents from accessing illegal aliens in custody.

"Illinois has no right to enact DIY immigration policies declaring itself a sanctuary state," said Yost.

The brief claims that Illinois has overstepped its authority by implementing sanctuary policies that conflict with federal law, which imposes criminal penalties on anyone who "conceals, harbors or shields from detection" an illegal alien.

Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the brief asserts that these policies hinder the enforcement of national immigration laws and negatively affect other states. "When individual States and cities attempt to frustrate federal immigration laws that protect all States, the result is harm reaching far outside their borders," it states.

Joining Yost in this legal action are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.