Illinois General Assembly

  Bills & Resolutions  
  Compiled Statutes  
  Public Acts  
  Legislative Reports  
  IL Constitution  
  Legislative Guide  
  Legislative Glossary  

 Search By Number
 (example: HB0001)
Search Tips

Search By Keyword

Illinois Compiled Statutes

 ILCS Listing   Public Acts  Search   Guide   Disclaimer

Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide.

Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.

735 ILCS 5/8-2901

    (735 ILCS 5/8-2901)
    Sec. 8-2901. Admissibility of evidence; immigration status.
    (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), evidence related to a person's immigration status is not admissible in any civil proceeding.
    (b) Evidence otherwise inadmissible under this Act is admissible if:
        (1) it is essential to prove an element of a claim or
    
an affirmative defense;
        (2) it is offered to prove an interest or bias of a
    
witness, if it does not cause confusion of the issues or mislead the trier of fact, and the probative value of the evidence outweighs its prejudicial nature; or
        (3) a person or his or her attorney voluntarily
    
reveals his or her immigration status to the court.
    (c) A party intending to offer evidence relating to a person's immigration status shall file a written motion at least 14 days before a hearing or a trial specifically describing the evidence and stating the purpose for which it is offered. A court, for good cause, may require a different time for filing or permit filing during trial.
    Upon receipt of the motion and notice to all parties, the court shall conduct an in camera hearing, with counsel present, limited to review of the probative value of the person's immigration status to the case. If the court finds that the evidence relating to a person's immigration status meets the criteria set forth in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (b), the court shall make findings of fact and conclusions of law regarding the permitted use of the evidence.
    The motion, related papers, and the record of the hearing shall be sealed and remain under seal unless the court orders otherwise.
    (d) A person may not, with the intent to deter any person or witness from testifying freely, fully, and truthfully to any matter before trial or in any court or before a grand jury, administrative agency, or any other State or local governmental unit, threaten to or actually disclose, directly or indirectly, a person's or witness's immigration status to any entity or any immigration or law enforcement agency. A person who violates this subsection commits a Class C misdemeanor.
(Source: P.A. 101-550, eff. 1-1-20.)