Illinois House committee advances bill that would restrict locations for immigration detention centers

A bill making its way through the Illinois General Assembly would stop immigration detention centers in certain areas.

The bill would ban any centers from being operated within 1,500 feet of most places —including schools, daycare centers, and forest preserves.

It is sponsored by Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Westchester), who represents west suburban Broadview, where a detention center is currently in operation.

The facility has been the site of many protests, particularly during Operation Midway Blitz lats fall.

In a statement, Welch said in part: "This is not an abstract policy proposal for me — this is personal, and is deeply local. The Broadview detention facility sits in the heart of the district I represent. And during Operation Midway Blitz, the people who live in and around that community did not just witness aggressive federal activity — they lived through trauma."

An Illinois House committee voted to advance the bill to the full state House on Wednesday.