Illinois House Poised to Consider a Ban on New Ice Detention Centers Near Homes, Schools and Parks

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House is poised this session to vote on legislation that would prohibit federal immigration detention centers from being built within 1,500 feet of schools, parks, homes and other community spaces — a direct response to the clashes that erupted in Chicago and the suburbs last year during the Trump administration’s mass deportation operations.

The bill, personally championed by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, cleared the House Executive Committee last week on an 8-3 party-line vote and could soon be before the full House. If it passes there, it will need approval from the Senate.

Welch, a Democrat from Hillside, pushed the measure after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Broadview — which sits in his legislative district — became the scene of repeated confrontations between federal officers and protesters during President Donald Trump’s mass deportation missions known as Operation Midway Blitz.