Former Illinois Governor Blagojevich Calls Sanctuary Cities ‘Invitation Cities’ for Illegal Immigration

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has labeled Senator Lindsey Graham’s proposed legislation to end sanctuary cities as “long overdue,” urging swift congressional action to dismantle policies that he claims facilitate illegal immigration.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, stated the bill would compel governors—including Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker—to align their states’ immigration enforcement with federal law. He criticized officials for “playing politics” with migration policy and emphasized compliance with existing laws over sanctuary jurisdictions.

The legislation targets so-called sanctuary cities and states that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, imposing criminal penalties on local and state leaders who disregard requests from the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal aliens.

Blagojevich squarely blamed Democrats for America’s current immigration crisis, accusing the Biden administration of opening the southern border and inviting millions of migrants through false promises of protection in cities like Chicago. “Sanctuary cities are misnamed,” he declared. “What they really ought to be is invitation cities because what they’ve done is they’ve invited illegal immigrants to come to America.”

The former governor argued that migrants were misled by Democratic leaders into believing they would receive safety and legal status, and current policies have complicated efforts to resolve their situation. He also cited recent unrest in Minnesota as evidence of federal enforcement challenges exacerbated by “anarchy and chaos” from activists and outside influences.