Will County Gazette

Mickey Straub is convinced local lawmakers should be following the letter of the law where the debate over the Trust Act and “sanctuary cities” is concerned.

“I’m opposed to the bill,” Straub told the Will County Gazette of the Trust Act recently signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner that designates Illinois as a "sanctuary state." “I think it should be handled at the federal level, that’s where immigration laws are enacted. I think the law should be repealed; nothing good can come out of this change.”

The recent acquittal of murder charges of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, who was in the country illegally, in the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle has set the immigration debate ablaze anew and Straub, who recently launched his campaign against Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) in the 82nd District, can’t understand why Rauner would move to place Illinois squarely in the middle of it.

Mickey Straub

Beyond that, the political action committee Make America Great Again is now lumping Chicago with a number of other sanctuary cities it is pushing to have federal funding stripped from based on the state's refusal to work with federal immigration officials. The Justice Department had given Illinois until Dec. 8 to respond.

“They did it to get votes,” Straub said of Illinois lawmakers motivation for supported the Trust Act. “They’re trying to capture the Hispanic vote and think this is the solution. I think even if you poll Hispanics they would be opposed to it. The vast majority of Hispanics in the state are here legally; they work hard and tend to think in term of the big picture, meaning many of them don’t want the hassle.”

Straub said he believes the repeal option is viable and something he will work for if elected.

“Anything is doable,” he said. “It’s something that needs to happen.”

The 109th House District includes parts or all of Jasper, Effingham, Clay, Richland, Lawrence, Wabash, Wayne, Edwards and White counties.