State Lawmakers are Using a Nationwide Coalition to Fight Against ICE
State Senator Graciela Guzmán and State Representatives Lilian Jimenez and Norma Hernandez have joined counterparts from other states to create and pass legislation to stop ICE
Over the years, Republicans have built a massive coalition of state and federal legislators across the country, which has enabled them to implement many fascist policies throughout Trump’s second term. For years, the Democratic Party had no counter. Now, however, it does.
State Futures, a national nonprofit that supports a network of over 850 values-aligned state policymakers, has entered the arena and accepted the challenge. Led by President Gaby Goldstein, State Futures empowers state policymakers to learn from each other, innovate together, and coordinate next steps through working groups, policy research, and strategic support.
Today, State Futures and Illinois State Senator Graciela Guzmán (IL-20) brought together state legislators from 6 states to discuss their legislative victories, along with where they plan to go from here.
Let’s Address This, Illinois.
The fight against ICE heats up
Today, Gaby Goldstein led a coalition of state legislators from six states in a press conference at the Michael Bilandic Building in downtown Chicago. Illinois Senator Graciela Guzmán (State Futures Federal Response Coalition Co-Chair), Illinois Representative Lilian Jimenez (IL-4), Illinois Rep. Norma Hernandez (IL-77), Colorado Senator Mike Weissman (State Futures Federal Response Coalition Co-Chair), Maryland Delegate David Moon (State Futures Federal Response Coalition Co-Chair), Maryland Delegate Nicole Williams, Oregon Representative Farrah Chaichi, Wisconsin Representative Ryan Clancy, and California Assemblymember Sade Elhawary all provided remarks.
ICE’s fascism has been constant throughout its existence, but especially since Donald Trump retook office last January. Still, there was big news today that made this press conference hit home harder: ICE’s new detention center contracts declare state laws ‘shall not apply.’
During the 2026 legislative session, State Futures tracked nearly 300 bills introduced across the country. So far, legislators have passed over 50 bills in 15 states on a suite of rule-of-law protections, including: bans on 287(g) agreements between state/local police and ICE, “no Secret Police bills” prohibiting masked law enforcement and requiring visible identification, and protections for sensitive locations such as schools, churches, libraries.
Additionally, state legislators passed laws regarding private rights of action, allowing residents to sue under state law if their civil rights are violated by federal agents, regulations on detention centers including increased oversight authority and zoning restrictions, and data and privacy protections such as restrictions on data sharing between government agencies and limits on automatic license plate readers.
According to State Futures, these protections form the backbone of a coordinated, cross-state response to federal overreach. They plan to carry this momentum into the 2027 state legislative session, passing more laws to fight ICE and deliver for the working class.
“One of the greatest gifts that State Futures, and in general our camaraderie-ship, have to offer is that no one state is fighting ICE and the federal government alone,” State Senator Guzmán said during today’s press conference. “Every single one of us has watched this administration test the limits of state authority. Every one of us has seen our communities become the testing ground for new forms of surveillance, intimidation, and detention. Every single one of us has had to ask themselves the same question: how do states respond?”
Guzmán highlighted how Illinois passed House Bill 1312, which prohibits civil immigration arrests inside, or within a buffer zone around, state courthouses, allowing individuals targeted in violation to sue for $10,000 in statutory damages plus false imprisonment claims. The bill does a lot more than that, too. It also requires licensed daycares, K-12 schools, public universities, community colleges, and hospitals to adopt clear policies for interacting with immigration enforcement, restrict sharing private status information without judicial warrants, and post "know your rights" information.
“What we’re seeing on the ground continues to evolve. The tactics may have changed since Operation Midway Blitz was here in Chicago, but the objectives have not. What we are witnessing today is sustained intimidation, it is stalking, it is surveillance, and it is increasingly becoming violent, if not deadly,” Guzmán said. “Our policies have to evolve just as quickly.”
State Representative Lilian Jimenez discussed how her community has been severely impacted by Trump’s fascist regime. “We’ve had many, many difficult days - many of us here on this stage. One morning in particular, I woke up to find out that, in front of our local healthcare center that also holds a daycare center and a school, a husband was abducted. A mother, who was nine months pregnant, who had been going in for a check in, had to watch while her car window was busted, right in front of the healthcare center and the daycare center.”
“Her husband was dragged out and as she was watching, health center staff had to come out, hold her, and tell her that for the health of her child, her unborn child, that she could not go to the assistance of her husband. She had to watch as he was dragged away.”
State Representative Norma Hernandez, who represents a majority Latino district, spoke about what it means to represent a suburban population during Trump’s second term. “As a legislator who represents the suburbs, the infrastructure for immigration support just wasn’t there. We had to build it. We had to build it in a moment when we didn’t have nonprofit support… the suburbs are not designed with that type of infrastructure, so we had to build it.”
“As we lead, we are taking responsibilities and roles that we never expected to take as someone that’s in office,” Hernandez said. “We are forced to learn, and forced to give a lot of ourselves into this work because we cannot stand still watching all of the harm the federal government is doing to our communities.”
What can we do to help?
Regardless of what state we live in, whether it’s Illinois, Oregon or North Carolina, it’s on us to continue to advocate for state and local legislation to stop ICE’s fascism. There’s so much work to be done, but we can win this fight and build an affordable America for all Americans. An America with democracy, equality, opportunity and freedom for all.
Also, please ask your state legislators if they will support legislation spearheaded by Representatives Guzman, Jimenez and Hernandez. Illinois is full of corporate, establishment Democrats who, like Republicans, fight for billionaires far more than they fight for working people. Luckily, we have progressive leaders like the three who spoke today to help us fight for a better future.
Thank you for all you do to support our fight for social, racial and economic justice in America.
In solidarity and in service,
Dylan Blaha
State Director, Let’s Address Illinois
Veteran · Scientist · Organizer
Dylan Blaha is a pro peace US Army veteran, scientist, organizer, human rights activist, and the State Director of Let’s Address Illinois. Thank you for your support in our mission to build for a better future for working class Americans.
Hooray for State Futures ! 👍👍👍