Will Illinoisans Abolish Chicago’s Sanctuary City Status?

A new ballot initiative would give Illinois voters the chance to overturn sanctuary laws shielding illegal aliens from deportation, if the movement can gather enough signatures to make the 2026 ballot.

Petitioners, headed by the Save Illinois Coalition, have proposed two ballot questions focused on overturning Chicago's "Welcoming City Ordinance" and the Illinois "Trust Act." Both sanctuary laws block local law enforcement officials from cooperating with federal immigration officials attempting to arrest, detain, and deport illegal aliens. 

The proposed ballot questions employ similar language with one critical difference: The Chicago version includes an explicit financial directive to ensure that taxpayer funds are only used for the benefit of legal American citizens residing in the city. 

To make the ballot next year, petitioners must collect 52,000 signatures for the Chicago petition and 325,000 for the statewide petition by April 13, 2026. 

David Shestokas, a solo practicing attorney in Illinois who crafted both ballot measures, explained the difference between the two in an interview. Chicagoans are fed up, he said, with the amount of money city officials are diverting to illegal aliens. The city has spent more than $600 million in taxpayer dollars on illegals  since the "migrant crisis" began in 2022, according to news reports. In that time, some 52,000 illegal aliens have flooded into the city largely from South America. 

Why Two Ballot Measures?

"Strangely enough, overturning the Illinois Trust Act does not deal with the fact that the citizens of Chicago are not just perturbed with the general sanctuary problem, but they are also concerned with the money situation," Shestokas explained. "Theoretically, you could have a situation where the Trust Act is overturned and local law enforcement is cooperating with federal law enforcement, but city officials are still diverting assets and resources away from residents to folks who are not citizens."

Assuming petitioners are successful, the Chicago referendum will read as follows:

Shall the Welcoming City Ordinance, which limits cooperation of Chicago Law Enforcement with federal immigration enforcement making Chicago a “sanctuary city”, be repealed and replaced with a requirement that Chicago law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal authorities enforcing United States immigration law and limiting expenditure of city funds to the support and benefit of United States citizens and persons present legally under the laws of the United States? 

As for the statewide measure, it would repeal the "Trust Act" and direct all Illinois law enforcement authorities to cooperate with federal authorities. Under the Illinois Constitution, each jurisdiction is limited to having three of its own referendum. But the three selected at the state level do not count against the three for Chicago. This means city residents could be voting on up to six ballot questions in any given election. 

If the Save Illinois Coalition is successful with its petitions, voters will be in position not just to repeal the sanctuary laws, but also replace them with a directive requiring local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The statewide question reads:

Shall the Illinois Trust Act, which limits cooperation of Illinois Law Enforcement with federal immigration enforcement making Illinois a “sanctuary state”, be repealed and replaced with a requirement that Illinois law enforcement agencies cooperate with federal authorities enforcing United States immigration law?

Gathering Steam

Terry Newsome, host of the "Behind Enemy Lines" podcast, has been instrumental in the petition effort. He estimates there are about 40 other "Save Illinois" coalition members working across the state to collect signatures and educate voters. The coalition has 96 followers on its Facebook page and draws from what Newsome describes as a "broad range of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents united in opposition to sanctuary laws." 

There are good political, as well as legal reasons, Newsome told Restoration News, for having two ballot questions.

"We expect the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois to do everything they can to prevent these questions from going on the ballot," Newsome said. "That's why we are weaponizing this process so petitioners can go to their politicians in their districts and ask them to sign, and if they don't, then ask them why they are supporting illegal aliens, and illegal crime, and gang activity above their own citizens, and ask them why they are giving tax dollars that legal citizens need for their own services. We are drawing from the passions and the anger of the people in Chicago who have been victimized by sanctuary policies. They are going to help drive this effort statewide."

Advocates expect Democrat officials to use several tactics to frustrate the coalition's efforts. They could, for example, challenge the validity of signatures before the Board of Elections in Chicago and other parts of Illinois. Another option would be to load up the ballot with other questions, since the Illinois Constitution limits the number of referenda per ballot to three. 

"That's why we are being very meticulous about this process," Shestokas said. "The establishment always finds someone to show up and challenge signatures. But there are very clear guidelines and directions petitioners are following."

Even if the referendums do not make it on the ballot, Newsome still sees value in putting pro-sanctuary politicians on the spot and getting them on the record. There is also the possibility that President Donald Trump and his Department of Justice (DOJ) could torpedo the sanctuary laws before the 2026 elections. Trump's Justice Department has filed suits against the city of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois and the state of Illinois, which seek temporary and permanent halts to the enforcement of all sanctuary laws.

(READ MORE: The Activists Urging Illegal Aliens to "Fight Back" Against ICE Deportations)