The lawsuit asks the court to immediately end a number of laws and ordinances it says thwart federal immigration authorities.

President Donald Trump’s administration went to court Thursday to challenge sanctuary policies in the state of Illinois, Cook County and the city of Chicago that limit the powers of state and local police to assist federal law enforcement on immigration-related matters.

The U.S. Justice Department sued the state of Illinois and city of Chicago on Thursday, accusing the Democratic strongholds of unlawfully interfering with Republican President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration and seeking a court order blocking so-called sanctuary laws.

Local law enforcement agencies play a limited role in immigration law, but that might change during Trump's promised mass deportation operation.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who did not immediately respond to request for comment, has defended the city's sanctuary laws. He and other mayors plan to testify next month at a

Trump administration officials are suing Illinois and top state officials, hoping to force them to turn over suspected illegal immigrants rather than releasing them from jails and state prisons. The lawsuit filed Thursday is among the most recent efforts by Trump officials to push liberal-led states,

The federal lawsuit is the first by Trump's Justice Department against states or municipalities that have sanctuary city policies.