HB2706 amends the Illinois TRUST Act to further limit state and local law enforcement involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement. The bill expands the prohibitions on sharing custody access, using agency facilities or databases, and providing information to immigration agents, and it expressly bars law enforcement from retaining information about a person’s citizenship, immigration status, or place of birth. It also adds a new restriction on direct access to law-enforcement-maintained electronic databases or data-sharing platforms, unless third parties certify the information will not be used for civil immigration enforcement.
The bill also incorporates provisions from the repealed Keep Illinois Families Together Act into the TRUST Act, updates definitions, removes some language from the legislative purpose, and revises reporting requirements to the Attorney General. It preserves exceptions for criminal investigations and certain federal-law obligations, while maintaining the general rule that Illinois agencies may not assist in civil immigration enforcement. The bill is effective immediately if enacted.
Impact
HB2706 would amend Sections 5, 10, 15, and 25 of the Illinois TRUST Act and repeal the separate Keep Illinois Families Together Act, consolidating and strengthening Illinois’ statutory limits on cooperation with federal civil immigration authorities. It would affect state and local law enforcement agencies, including police departments, sheriffs, campus police, the Illinois State Police, and the Department of Juvenile Justice, by restricting data retention, access, transfers, facility use, and database-sharing related to immigration enforcement. It would also change annual reporting obligations to the Attorney General and remove personally identifying information from those reports.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears to be supportive of stronger immigrant-protection and sanctuary-style restrictions. The measure is framed as a clarification and expansion of existing Illinois policy against local participation in civil immigration enforcement, suggesting a policy direction favored by the sponsor and likely aligned with advocates for immigrant communities and limits on ICE cooperation. No opposing statements or recorded roll-call votes are included in the provided context.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to be the bill’s expanded limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities and its restrictions on sharing custody access, facility use, and law-enforcement database access. Supporters would view these provisions as protecting immigrant communities, privacy, and due process, while critics may argue they reduce local-federal coordination and could hinder public safety or immigration enforcement. The database-access certification requirement and the prohibition on retaining immigration-status information are especially notable because they go beyond narrower non-cooperation rules and may raise operational and legal concerns for law enforcement agencies.