IL's Federal Funding Will Be Cut If New Immigration Polices Are Not Enacted, Trump Warns

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that, starting next month, he is cutting off federal funding to Illinois and other states and local cities that resist his immigration policies.

Trump made the controversial proclamation during his address at the Detroit Economic Club. DEC is touted as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization.

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“Starting February 1, we are not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities," Trump told the DEC audience.

The president also stated that so-called sanctuary jurisdictions "do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens."

Trump did not offer any details about his plan. Back in Washington, he told reporters that the affected funding will be "significant."

The Department of Justice has identified 11 states and dozens of local cities and counties as "sanctuary" jurisdictions. Illinois, Cook County and Chicago are on the list, which the DOJ last updated on Oct. 31. According to the federal law enforcement agency, the list is being "reviewed regularly."

Federal funds drive roughly one-third of the Prairie State budget, according to a report from Axios.

Trump has repeatedly tried to withhold federal funding from Democrat-run states, and he continually tests how far he can go.

In executive orders last year, the president directed federal officials to withhold money from sanctuary jurisdictions that seek to shield immigrants from deportation. A California-based federal judge struck it down. During Trump’s first term in office, in 2017, courts struck down his effort to cut funding to the cities.

In October, the president tried to cancel nearly $8 billion in funding for states that voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. A judge ruled against Trump.

"American taxpayers shouldn't be treated as pawns," Gov. JB Pritzker wrote on X. "If Trump keeps threatening to illegally withhold funds from Illinois, then we'll keep fighting for what our people deserve. We've beaten the administration in court before — and we're not afraid to keep doing so."

Just Monday, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that Illinois and Chicago are suing the United States Department of Homeland Security and Trump administration officials over the "unlawful and dangerous tactics" used by immigration enforcement agents. The lawsuit argued the Trump administration has "unleashed an organized bombardment on the State of Illinois and City of Chicago, causing turmoil and imposing a climate of fear."

RELATED: Illinois, Chicago File Lawsuit Over 'Unlawful And Dangerous Tactics' Used By ICE, Trump Administration

Trump's rhetoric on Tuesday comes amid concerns that arrests and aggressive tactics by ICE and the Border Patrol are intensifying frustrations and fears nationally. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that multiple senior federal prosecutors in Washington and Minneapolis are leaving their jobs due to the turmoil over the administration's handling of the shooting death of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Good, who was a U.S. citizen.

The walkout of federal prosecutors was preempted by national protests over the weekend, where millions turned out on U.S. streets to condemn the shooting and the Trump administration.