By Illinois Review
Illinois Republicans are now sounding the alarm about sanctuary cities, migrant crime, and the collapse of border security.
But there’s one inconvenient truth they prefer to ignore: in 2017, the Illinois Republican Party praised the very bill that turned Illinois into a sanctuary state — all while President Donald J. Trump was just months into his first term and making illegal immigration and border security the centerpiece of his administration.
The bill was the Illinois TRUST Act (SB 31), a Democrat-written sanctuary measure that restricts state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. It limits when police can communicate with ICE, bans arrests based solely on immigration status, and blocks ICE detainers that lack a judicial warrant.
It became the legal blueprint for Illinois’ sanctuary status.
Here’s what actually happened in Springfield: every Republican in the Illinois Senate voted against the TRUST Act, and in the House, every Republican opposed it except one – Rep. Robert Pritchard, who broke ranks to join Democrats.
Pritchard later resigned on July 1, 2018, to join the Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees.
Another four House Republicans refused to take a stand entirely. Mark Batinick, David Harris, Sheri Jesiel, and Grant Wehrli didn’t vote at all – sidestepping one of the most defining immigration debates in modern Illinois history.
But while Republican lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected SB 31, the Illinois Republican Party was praising it.
On August 28, 2017, the day Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the bill, the IL GOP proudly cheered it on:
“SB 31 helps local police focus on their sworn police duties, keeping all Illinois communities safe.”
Another line read: “The TRUST Act would prevent local police from stopping, searching or arresting anyone based on their immigration or citizenship status.”
Rauner – a RINO governor who governed more like a Democrat than a Republican – framed the sanctuary bill as continuing “Illinois’ history of welcoming immigrants,” even as President Trump was urging states to cooperate with ICE, crack down on illegal immigration, and strengthen national security.
Fast forward to 2025, and the IL GOP now positions itself as one of the loudest critics of sanctuary policies — hoping voters forget its own record. Their rhetoric has intensified, blasting Democrats for releasing 1,768 undocumented immigrants with active ICE detainers – including convicted murderers, assailants, and sexual predators – and calling the situation a dangerous failure of sanctuary laws.
The party also accused Gov. JB Pritzker of rushing to shield the very chaos created by Democratic sanctuary policies after he threatened to sue the Trump administration for enforcing immigration laws.
They’re right to attack sanctuary policies — but the truth remains: Illinois is a sanctuary state because Democrats passed the bill, a Republican governor signed it, and the IL GOP publicly celebrated it.
And this is exactly why the Illinois Republican Party is collapsing today.
The IL GOP is so mismanaged – and its failures in leadership so extreme – that we have already lost 2026 before the election even arrives. We are stuck in a super-minority. We hold zero statewide offices. Millions of Republican voters are no longer motivated to show up. Major donors have stopped writing checks to local candidates.
And yet, the IL GOP is on Facebook posting selfies from Washington, DC, talking about how they’re “going to flip Illinois RED and turn our state around.”
Republicans in Illinois aren’t losing because of Democrat strength.
We’re losing because of Republican weakness – and because, too often, the IL GOP stands with Democrats first and Illinois families last.
