[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 451 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 451
Condemning attacks on Federal law enforcement in the State of Illinois.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 15, 2025
Mr. Scott of Florida (for himself and Mrs. Blackburn) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning attacks on Federal law enforcement in the State of Illinois.
Whereas the Constitution of the United States establishes and assigns to the
Federal Government the exclusive authority to regulate immigration and
naturalization;
Whereas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (referred to in this preamble as
``ICE'') is authorized under Federal law to execute the lawful
deportation and removal of criminal aliens who have violated the
immigration laws of the United States;
Whereas State and local policies that seek to nullify or obstruct Federal
immigration enforcement violate the Constitution and the principles of
federalism;
Whereas the situation in the State of Illinois, particularly in and around the
city of Chicago, has deteriorated to a point where Federal facilities
and personnel can no longer operate without significant protection and
public safety has collapsed;
Whereas the city of Chicago has experienced catastrophic levels of violent
crime, with 5,220 homicides between 2017 and 2024, an average of 652 per
year, exceeding the annual combat deaths of United States forces in Iraq
(435 per year from 2003 through 2010) and Afghanistan (141 per year from
2001 through 2014);
Whereas Chicago has become what can only be described as a combat zone, with
certain police districts experiencing homicide rates exceeding 70 per
100,000 residents;
Whereas the Cook County State Attorney's office implemented pro-criminal
policies from 2017 through 2022 that have caused a dramatic increase in
violent crime, including an increase in average annual homicides from
510 homicides from 2011 through 2016 to 652 homicides from 2017 through
2024, and an increase in reported rapes from an average of 1,486 per
year from 2014 through 2016 to 1,804 per year from 2017 through 2022;
Whereas these prosecutorial policies included releasing violent criminals
without appropriate bail and consequences, as well as undermining
Illinois felony retail theft statutes by unilaterally raising the
prosecution threshold from $300 to $1,000 in 2017, resulting in a
dramatic increase in retail theft across the city;
Whereas such negligent criminal justice policies have created an environment in
which violent criminals, including criminal aliens subject to
deportation, operate with impunity;
Whereas Federal facilities in Illinois, including those directly supporting ICE,
have come under coordinated assault by violent groups intent on
obstructing Federal law enforcement activities;
Whereas these groups have sought to impede the deportation and removal of
criminal aliens through violent demonstrations, intimidation, and
sabotage of Federal operations;
Whereas these violent activities are increasing in frequency and intensity,
threatening the safety of Federal law enforcement and personnel and
compromising the integrity of Federal operations;
Whereas, while peaceful protest and political activism are protected rights
under the Constitution, such rights do not extend to violent assaults on
Federal facilities, intimidation of Federal law enforcement, or sabotage
of lawful operations;
Whereas acts of lawlessness and anarchy cannot be disguised as activism and
political violence cannot be legitimized;
Whereas certain far-left State and local governments operate under a distorted
understanding of federalism that runs only 1 way, demanding and
expecting Federal funding and assistance while rejecting any reciprocal
obligation to cooperate with Federal law enforcement agencies to ensure
public safety and protect the lives of their residents;
Whereas the success of Federal law enforcement operations in Washington, DC,
which resulted in a nearly 60-percent reduction in homicides and a 17-
percent decrease in violent crime following enhanced Federal enforcement
beginning August 7, 2025, demonstrates that dramatic crime reduction is
possible when there is political will to enforce the law;
Whereas the Mayor of Chicago has signed an Executive order preventing city
cooperation with Federal immigration authorities and has repeatedly
affirmed the city's intent to resist lawful ICE operations;
Whereas the National Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the
country, has condemned orders that prevent Chicago officers from
assisting ICE when agents face violent resistance, endangering both
Federal officers and the public;
Whereas the Governor of Illinois has demonized brave Federal law enforcement
agents, including by publicly calling them ``jackbooted thugs'';
Whereas ICE is facing a 500-percent increase in assaults while carrying out
enforcement operations;
Whereas these activities are not occurring in isolation but are similar to
ongoing efforts in multiple other States and cities around the country
to disrupt the faithful enforcement of Federal law;
Whereas such obstruction threatens public safety, particularly in disadvantaged
communities that bear the brunt of violent crime; and
Whereas the Federal Government has both the authority and the obligation to
ensure that Federal law enforcement personnel can execute their lawfully
assigned duties without violent interference and that the residents of
Illinois, particularly those in the most vulnerable communities, are
protected from rampant violent crime: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) condemns all attacks on Federal law enforcement in the
State of Illinois;
(2) recognizes that the State Government of Illinois and
the city Government of Chicago have failed in their fundamental
obligation to protect their residents from violent crime;
(3) commends the brave men and women of Federal law
enforcement and all support personnel for their heroic work
during this public safety crisis in Illinois;
(4) condemns any and all efforts by State or local
governments, or by organized groups to obstruct, impede, or
interfere with the lawful execution of Federal immigration law
enforcement operations;
(5) condemns the implementation of pro-criminal
prosecutorial policies that have contributed to the dramatic
increase in violent crime in Chicago;
(6) condemns the prioritization of politics over the safety
and well-being of Illinois residents, particularly those in
vulnerable communities;
(7) reaffirms the exclusive authority of the Federal
Government to regulate immigration and to enforce immigration
laws;
(8) recognizes that the Federal Government has a
responsibility to protect all people of the United States from
violent crime, particularly when State and local governments
have abdicated this fundamental obligation through the
implementation of failed criminal justice policies;
(9) supports all necessary measures to protect Federal law
enforcement personnel and Federal facilities in Illinois from
violent assault, intimidation, and obstruction;
(10) supports the prosecution, to the fullest extent of
Federal law, of all individuals and groups who engage in
violence, intimidation, or sabotage against Federal law
enforcement; and
(11) encourages all State and local governments to support
and protect our brave Federal law enforcement officers and
support staff.
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