52nd House Democratic hopefuls discuss immigration, Illinois TRUST Act

Democratic 52nd District Illinois House candidates Erin Chan Ding and Maria Peterson have similar views on immigration enforcement and the Illinois TRUST Act.

Chan Ding, a Barrington Area Unit District 220 school board member, called recent federal immigration enforcement actions “a travesty” and “unacceptable overreach.”

She also praised state legislation passed late last year which establishes the right to sue federal agents for violating constitutional rights and prohibits civil arrests at courthouses.

Chan Ding also supports legislation banning most federal agents from concealing their faces and increasing mental health support for families and educators affected by immigration enforcement.

Peterson, vice chair of the Lake County Zoning Board of Appeals, said the issue for her is personal — her deaf son in Minneapolis delayed taking a job as a delivery driver due to fears of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“If my deaf son cannot hear an order, does that give them the right to push him, chase him, tackle him, kill him?”

She supports Illinois' refusal to share license plate reader data with federal authorities and Gov. JB Pritzker's establishment of the Illinois Accountability Commission.

Both candidates strongly support the Illinois TRUST Act, which limits local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration activities.

“People need to be able to trust that they can contact the police if they have issues without fear of deportation,” Chan Ding said.

The winner of the March 17 primary will face incumbent Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughin of Barrington Hills in the general election.

The 52nd District includes all or parts of Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, Lake Barrington, South Barrington, Fox River Grove, Inverness, Wauconda, Libertyville and Mundelein.