What Governors in Blue Trifecta States Can Do to Defend Our Communities from Trump’s Unconstitutional Mass Deportations

Urge Your Governor to take action immediately

If you live in a Democratic trifecta state, urge your governor to take decisive action against the Trump administration’s unconstitutional mass deportation efforts, following the lead of Illinois Governor Pritzker. And if you live in Illinois, send an email and make a call to thank Pritzker for fighting back.

What’s Happening?

The Trump-Musk administration is laying the groundwork for mass deportations, unlike anything we’ve seen before, not even under Trump 1.0. They’re targeting immigrant communities with sweeping raids, abductions, mass deportations, indefinite detention, and partnerships with foreign governments willing to help round up and deport people. 

An egregious example of this has already played out: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, one of the hundreds of migrants rounded up by the Trump administration, was deported (despite a court order explicitly prohibiting his removal there) without due process and consigned to El Salvador – where he was immediately detained and sent to a known torture prison (the Terrorism Confinement Center also known as CECOT), at the request of U.S. authorities. And he isn’t the only person facing this devastating outcome — he’s just one of the nearly 300 disappeared people we have a public record of. Most of these deportations are happening in near-total secrecy and with zero transparency. This shows exactly how Trump’s White House is enlisting foreign governments to help carry out/enforce large-scale deportations – sidestepping American courts and constitutional protections altogether.

Why this is dangerous

This is no longer a theoretical concept; it has become a daily reality for families all over the country. Mass deportations are happening, and at such a fast rate that the admin is making catastrophic mistakes. 

Trump’s deportation machine isn’t just about removing people from the country; it’s about deliberately bypassing constitutional protections, outsourcing human rights abuses to foreign governments, and stripping entire communities of due process.

The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia shows exactly how dangerous this playbook is:

  • Immigrants are being rounded up without charges or fair hearings.

  • They are deported into the hands of countries like El Salvador, where they are detained, tortured, and silenced – all with U.S. coordination and approval.

  • Due process – the basic promise of fairness under the Constitution – is being discarded.

To make matters worse, it has become clear that this kind of behavior will not be limited to non-citizens. Under Trump’s immigration agenda, even U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents have been wrongly detained, denied legal protections, and swept up by ICE and DHS.

We’re seeing an administration that does not believe in the protection of citizenship, but frankly, citizenship status shouldn’t matter. Nobody, citizen or not, should ever face abduction, indefinite detention, torture, or forced disappearance.

This is about more than immigration. It’s about preserving our democracy and fighting for basic human rights – dignity, due process, and freedom from state violence. 

If Democratic governors don’t act now, we risk letting these abuses become the new normal, and no community will be safe from such unchecked government power.

What Can Governors In Democratic Trifecta States Do?

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker recently responded to this behavior with solid action: he announced that Illinois’ state pension funds would divest from El Salvador, citing its role in unlawful deportations. He also ordered a review of Illinois state contracts for any that send business to El Salvador-based companies. In Governor Pritzker’s words:

“The United States Constitution guarantees due process. We are witnessing Donald Trump erode our fundamental Constitutional rights in real-time, and we must fight to restore the balance of power.”

But he doesn’t have to, and shouldn’t, act alone. Democratic trifecta states, where governors and legislatures are aligned, have the clearest mandate and power to act immediately. 

Fortunately for them, there’s already a precedent for using the tools at their disposal. States have acted in moments of international crisis before, like when governors ordered the removal of Russian vodka from state-run liquor stores after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The reality is that economic choices are political choices, and hitting where it hurts financially is one of the most powerful tools we have. States have done it before, and they can and must do it again now.

Although it may vary from state to state, here are some things governors can do immediately: 

    • Follow Illinois’ lead by reviewing and withdrawing investments from governments like El Salvador that participate in unlawful deportations at the Trump administration’s request.

    • Publicly announce divestment decisions to build pressure on other states to take similar action.

    • Use state purchasing power to end contracts or sales relationships with countries that collaborate in mass deportations.

      • Example: In states with government-run liquor stores, governors could order the removal of Salvadoran liquor brands from shelves—just as states pulled Russian vodka after the Ukraine invasion. Notably, El Salvador’s most exported alcohol to the U.S. is rum and beer.

    • Beyond liquor, El Salvador’s significant exports include products like raw cane sugar and unroasted coffee. Governors could instruct state agencies to stop purchasing these and other Salvadoran goods or services wherever applicable, using state procurement policies as a tool to signal clear opposition to the country’s cooperation with unlawful deportation practices.

    • Prohibit state and local law enforcement from collaborating with ICE or DHS without a judicial warrant.

    • Extend sanctuary policies to public hospitals, universities, courthouses, and transportation systems, blocking access points that federal agents often exploit.

    • Issue formal statements opposing partnerships with governments that violate human rights and constitutional principles.

    • Leverage state diplomatic relationships and economic influence to oppose collaboration in mass deportations.

What You Can Do: Mobilize Your Governor

​If you're in a Democratic trifecta state, you have a unique opportunity to influence your governor to take decisive action against the Trump administration's unconstitutional mass deportation efforts. Following the example of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, you can urge your governor to implement similar measures.​

Here’s how you can help push them to take real action against Trump's mass deportation machine:

Even if you think your governor is "generally good," they still need to hear from you because, unfortunately, in most cases, political courage is never automatic. Democrats can't wait for a bigger crisis; the crisis is already here. And if they are taking action, your call or email can encourage them to keep going. Remember to say thank you!