The Donald Trump administration sued Chicago on Thursday (Feb 6) alleging that the "sanctuary" laws of the city tried blocking the efforts of the US president to deport illegal migrants. The lawsuit aims to overturn measures in the city that prohibit police from arresting individuals based on their immigration status. Other cities in the US that share the same rules are New York and Los Angeles. 

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“The conduct of officials in Chicago and Illinois minimally enforcing — and oftentimes affirmatively thwarting — federal immigration laws over a period of years has resulted in countless criminals being released into Chicago who should have been held for immigration removal from the United States,” the lawsuit, filed in Chicago's federal court said. 

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'National emergency'

The filing cited Trump's declaration of a "national emergency" on the southern US border along with an executive order he signed claiming that many illegal migrants are "significant threats to national security and public safety."

"Further exacerbating this national crisis, some of these aliens find safe havens from federal law enforcement detection in so-called Sanctuary Cities where they live and work among innocent Americans, who may later become their crime victims," the filing said. 

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Trump has claimed that undocumented migrants have been disproportionately responsible for various crimes in the US for a long time. This is despite the research showing that US citizens commit more offences per capita, AFP reported. 

The lawsuit alleged that "countless criminals" have been freed in Chicago after officials failed to cooperate with federal immigration laws. 

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(With inputs from agencies)