The Justice Department sued the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago on Thursday, seeking to block state and local protections for undocumented immigrants that the Trump administration says are impeding federal immigration enforcement efforts.

The federal lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claims sanctuary policies in Illinois that keep local authorities from cooperating with the deportation effort are “exacerbating” a crisis at the U.

The federal lawsuit accuses those jurisdictions of "making it more difficult for, and deliberately impeding, federal immigration officers' ability to carry out their responsibilities."