Grundy County declared a ‘non-sanctuary’ county by county board

The Grundy County Board passed a measure Tuesday evening that labels the county a non-sanctuary county, meaning it will continue enforcing immigration laws and not protect refugees from other countries.

Discussion on this topic started at the November Grundy County Board meeting. The board looked to improve language so it could express solidarity with the non-binding resolutions put forth back in 2020 where 64% of Grundy County residents said they would rather have the county work with the federal government when it comes to enforcing immigration laws.

“Hearing everything from the November meeting and from other meetings and interactions, State’s Attorney Russ Baker was able to condense hours worth of discussion into this nice tidy, tight resolution that I’m really happy about,” said board member Drew Muffler. “It expresses that with all the uncertainty and the federal and state monies and programs that are being tossed around, Grundy County is basically saying this isn’t for us.”

The motion separates Grundy County from the rest of Illinois, which declared itself a sanctuary state in the 2017 Illinois Trust Act.