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Illinois has enacted new protections for families at child care centers licensed by the state and prohibited public colleges and universities from disclosing certain immigration and citizenship status, amid ramped-up federal deportation efforts.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed House Bill 1312, which restricts child care staff from disclosing the actual or perceived immigration status of children or their families, unless it is otherwise required by law. It also requires staff to use a child’s emergency contact if a parent is detained by law enforcement, and requires centers by Jan. 1 to create policies for how staff should interact with law enforcement and train staff on those policies.
The new law also requires the state’s Department of Children and Family Services or the Department of Early Childhood to provide information on their websites about parents’ constitutional rights. That information should include the form from Children and Family Services authorizing the appointment of a short-term guardian, in order to temporarily transfer custody of a child to someone the parent trusts, the law says.
Public colleges and universities are now also barred from disclosing the immigration and citizenship status of students as well as employees.
Illinois advocacy groups have praised the passage of House Bill 1312 for providing more protections to immigrant communities and providing clarity on what institutions should do to support immigrants. In January, President Donald Trump revoked a policy that previously restricted immigration enforcement at schools, child care centers, churches, and hospitals.
The law makes other sweeping changes. It restricts the arrest of people at or in courthouses if they are witnesses and under other circumstances, and requires hospitals to create policies for how staff will interact with law enforcement.
“We know that this new set of laws can’t mitigate all of the harm, but it gives us new protective tools, and is a symbol of our shared action against those terrorizing our communities and our state,” said Pritzker during a Tuesday press conference in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, where he was joined by state lawmakers, community leaders, and advocacy organizations.
“I am proud that in Illinois we are committed to fulfilling that obligation to every child and young person, despite their or their family’s immigrant status,” Linda Xóchitl Tortolero, president and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, said on Tuesday.
“No parent should fear dropping their child off at childcare. No young person should worry about their safety on their college campus,” added Xóchitl Tortolero.
From mid-September until late November, the federal government stepped up immigration enforcement in Chicago under an effort known as Operation Midway Blitz. The operation has led to over 3,300 arrests over the past few months, according to the Chicago Tribune. This enhanced enforcement caused a chilling effect on local communities, small businesses, schools and child care centers.
In one case, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained an early childhood educator in front of children, parents, and staff at a private child care center on the North Side of Chicago in November, according to a report by Block Club Chicago.
Chicago advocates and attorneys have encouraged families to set up short-term guardianships in case parents are detained by ICE agents.
Samantha Smylie is the state education reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago covering school districts across the state, legislation, special education and the state board of education. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.
