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Blasting so-called sanctuary laws in Chicago and Illinois, the latest effort claims to target people without legal permission to live in the U.S. who have criminal records.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has been locked in a back-and-forth with Trump for days, criticized the move. He and Mayor Brandon Johnson defended the state and city’s extensive sanctuary laws, which bar coordination between local police and immigration agents. They accused the Trump administration of using scare tactics, particularly with Latino residents in the nation’s third-largest city.

“Once again, this isn’t about fighting crime. That requires support and coordination — yet we’ve experienced nothing like that over the past several weeks,� Pritzker said in a statement. “Instead of taking steps to work with us on public safety, the Trump administration’s focused on scaring Illinoisians.�

Los Angeles

Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for federal agents to conduct sweeping immigration operations for now in Los Angeles.

The conservative majority lifted a restraining order from a judge who found that roving patrols were conducting indiscriminate stops in and around LA. The order barred immigration agents from stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location.

The court’s 6-3 decision followed a pattern of at least temporarily allowing some of the Republican administration’s harshest policies, while leaving room for the possibility of a different outcome after the legal case plays out fully.

The majority did not explain its reasoning, as is typical on the court’s emergency docket. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the lower-court judge went too far in restricting how Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can carry out brief stops for questioning.

“The prospect of such after-the-fact judicial second-guessing and contempt proceedings will inevitably chill lawful immigration enforcement efforts,� he wrote in a concurrence.

In a stinging dissent joined by her two liberal colleagues, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the decision erodes constitutional freedoms.

“Countless people in the Los Angeles area have been grabbed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed simply because of their looks, their accents, and the fact they make a living by doing manual labor,� she wrote. “Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities.�

The lawsuit will continue to unfold in California. It was filed by immigrant advocacy groups that accused the Trump administration of systematically targeting brown-skinned people during his administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the Los Angeles area.

The Department of Homeland Security said last week that authorities made 5,210 immigration arrests since June 6 and praised the work of its lead commander there, Gregory Bovino, whose “success in getting the worst of the worst out of the Los Angeles region speaks for itself.�

Chicago

Chicago has been bracing for an influx of immigration agents and possibly the National Guard for two weeks. Protests cropped up downtown, outside a suburban military base DHS plans to use and at an immigration processing center that’s expected to be a hub of activity.

Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his unprecedented law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C., where he has direct legal control. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, rejected the latest operation announced in Chicago

“These actions don’t make us safer,� he said in a statement. “They are a waste of money, stoke fear, and represent another failed attempt at a distraction.�

It remained unclear what role Monday’s announced program would play in a Chicago surge.

Adding to the confusion was a handful of immigration arrests over the weekend in Chicago, which galvanized the city’s vocal activist network and worries that it was the start of something bigger.

“This is about terrorizing our communities,� said Chicago City Council member Jeylú Gutiérrez. “But we will not be intimidated.�

She and immigrant rights activists said five people arrested were “beloved community members.� Some were on their way to work when arrested Sunday. Another works as a flower vendor.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed four arrests but gave sparse information, noting criminal histories with previous arrests and one conviction for driving under the influence.

“ICE has always operated in Chicago,� the agency said in a statement. “We will continue our law enforcement and public safety mission, undeterred, as we surge ICE resources in the city in coordination with our federal partners.�