Illinois House Passes Landmark Immigration Detention Bill That Would Block New Federal Facilities Within 1500 Feet of Homes and Schools

House Bill 5024 Would Restrict Where Federal Immigration Centers Can Operate

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill that would all but ban new federal immigration detention centers from operating in numerous towns and cities across the state, marking a significant expansion of the state's existing protections.

House Bill 5024 would restrict federal immigration detention facilities from operating within 1,500 feet of any home, school, day care center, park, forest preserve, cemetery or place of worship. The legislation passed on a largely partisan 72-35-2 roll call and now moves to the Illinois Senate for consideration.

The Broadview Connection

The bill was sponsored by House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, D-Hillside, whose district includes Broadview, a west suburban village of about 8,000 residents that is home to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center. The facility became a focal point for protesters during Operation Midway Blitz last year.

Welch defended the purpose of the bill on the floor. The detention center in Broadview sits in the middle of a neighborhood where there are homes nearby, children nearby, families nearby and a church nearby, Welch said. It is extremely disruptive to the regular everyday business of the local community.

Welch has previously said the bill will not retroactively apply to the Broadview detention facility. The legislation is not retroactive, meaning it would apply to future facilities, but not the existing facility in Broadview or others currently owned or leased by the federal government.

Legal Hurdles Ahead

The bill is likely to run into legal hurdles. Generally, the federal government is exempt from state and local zoning restrictions. Nearly all Republicans opposed the legislation during floor debate.

Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, accused Democrats who hold supermajorities in the legislature of continually picking fights with the federal government. Windhorst said the result of this effort to not work together with the federal government to resolve the issues, particularly related to immigration and enforcement of our laws, has resulted in huge problems in our state that the majority party attempts to blame the current presidential administration for.

But we need to take a hard look at what were doing as a state to make sure were fulfilling our obligations to protect our citizens and to enforce the laws, including the federal laws of our country, Windhorst said.

Welch said there are major differences between the California ban and his bill, which only restricts facilities from operating if they are within 1,500 feet of schools, daycares, parks, churches, public housing and private residences.

Despite the clarification, Windhorst said the bill would push the state further in the direction of fighting the federal government. He called on members to vote against passing it.

Welch said Windhorst had it backward. The federal government is picking a fight with us. We have states rights. We know our rights. We know our power, Welch said.

Despite criticism, the bill passed 72-32.

Existing Protections

Illinois already bans privately owned immigration detention centers. And under the Illinois Way Forward Act, local governments are prohibited from entering contracts with ICE to detain immigrants for the agency in county jails.

Other Legislation Passed

The House passed more than 50 bills on Wednesday as the chamber begins several days of floor action. Other measures passed include:

• House Bill 3564, which aims to crack down on the types of fees landlords can charge their renters. The House voted 64-40 to pass the bill. If signed, the bill would take effect July 1.

• House Bill 4339, which would require high schools to offer eligible students the opportunity to register to vote. The bill passed 77-24 with bipartisan support.

• House Bill 5093, which removes a requirement in state law that a student who attended an Illinois high school could only receive in-state tuition at an Illinois university if they did not establish residency outside the state before enrolling.

Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Inverness, a sponsor of the rental fee bill, said I have actually heard from several landlords in the negotiation process of this bill where they have talked about certain bad actors in the industry that are charging these absurd fees that do not make sense. They do not make sense to many landlords and they do not make sense to many tenants. And this is simply trying to remove the ability to put additional fees that are just causing undue burdens on individuals that are looking for housing.

Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, worried the bill would lead to higher rents. Their natural inclination is going to be to build these costs into the base rent and therefore, the tenants are going to be paying additional higher rents, he said.

Partisan Divide

The bill passed out of the House on a partisan vote. Republican legislators have previously criticized the bill, saying it would bring legal disputes against the state.

Speaker Welch defended the purpose of the bill on the floor. The detention center in Broadview sits in the middle of a neighborhood where there are homes nearby, children nearby, families nearby and a church nearby. It is extremely disruptive to the regular everyday business of the local community.

The bill would amend the Illinois Municipal Code and includes definitions related to detention facilities and federal immigration authorities.

What Comes Next

For the bill to become law, it must pass the Senate and be signed by Governor JB Pritzker. The Senate will have to grapple with similar legal concerns about federal preemption.

Full List of House Bills Passed

The Illinois House passed a total of 133 bills last week, sending them to the Senate for further deliberation. Other notable bills include measures addressing apartment rental fees, regulating immigration detention center locations, expanding opportunities for high school students to register to vote, establishing a minimum age for charging a person with child abuse, and providing guidance for police interacting with people with autism.

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Sources

Capitol News Illinois, Rental fee limits, detention center regulations among bills to pass House, https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/rental-fee-limits-detention-center-regulations-among-bills-to-pass-house/

The Center Square, Illinois House pushes through bill restricting ICE detention centers in state, https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_b6c20503-93db-4f23-a951-e8eca5816b8d.html

NPR Illinois, Rental fee limits, detention center regulations among bills to pass Illinois House, https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2026-04-09/rental-fee-limits-detention-center-regulations-among-bills-pass-illinois-house/

WAND TV, IL House Democrats pass rental junk fee ban, send bill to Pritzker's desk, https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/il-house-democrats-pass-rental-junk-fee-ban-send-bill-to-pritzkers-desk/article_8951624f-b89e-4b9b-8bc6-903e6a39e618.html