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Illinois advocates are challenging President Trump's latest effort to change voting laws, which would create voter lists that the Postal Service would use to identify who gets a mail-in ballot.

Why it matters: The U.S. Constitution places the job of election administration in the hands of the states and Congress.

Opponents of Trump's order characterize it as an attempt to interfere with November's midterm elections, where polls show the GOP facing tough odds.

What they're saying: "In Illinois, our secure elections safeguard every citizen's right to vote. We will not hesitate to fight the president's blatantly unconstitutional order," Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul tells Axios.

"Based on little more than conspiracy theories, the President claims that voting by mail — a process he and his family regularly employ — is flawed and should be regulated by the White House," Illinois ACLU spokesperson Ed Yohnka tells Axios.

"Illinois will keep administering free and fair elections — and what Donald Trump puts on a piece of paper will not change that," Gov. JB Pritzker said on X.

The other side: Trump on Tuesday night told reporters in the Oval Office that his proposal is "foolproof," per NPR.

Zoom out: Last year a federal judge overturned another Trump order to change election laws.

The president is also promoting passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would mandate, among other things, registrants to bring copies of their passport or birth certificate to an election office.

Data: OSRM, Federal Voting Assistance Program; Note: No data areas are those with no or extremely sparse roads; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Reality check: More than 21 million voting-age Americans lack the documents needed to register to vote under the SAVE Act, such as a birth certificate or passport, according to an estimate from the Brennan Center for Justice, a liberal public policy nonprofit.

Under the act, more than 5 million voting-age Americans would have to drive an estimated hour or more to present their citizenship documents for registration.

By the numbers: The average American lives about 20 minutes by car from their nearest election office, per an Axios analysis. Those are county or municipal offices that manage voter registration and voting.

For rural Americans in western states, that more than doubles to 49 minutes.

Apache County, Arizona, residents have an average drive of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Illinois pushes back on latest Trump voting order

The Illinois ACLU says it would disenfranchise millions of voters.

Photo illustration of President Trump gazing at a small voting booth

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Al Drago/Getty Images

Illinois advocates are challenging President Trump&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="latest effort to change voting laws" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/25/trump-elections-executive-order-citizenship-proof" data-vars-content-id="1c207705-be16-4233-a92b-7e6f3a70c53f" data-vars-headline="Illinois pushes back on latest Trump voting order" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/25/trump-elections-executive-order-citizenship-proof" target="_self">latest effort to change voting laws</a>, which would create voter lists that the Postal Service would use to identify who gets a mail-in ballot.Why it matters: The U.S. Constitution <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="places the job of election administration" data-vars-click-url="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S4-C1-2/ALDE_00013577/" data-vars-content-id="1c207705-be16-4233-a92b-7e6f3a70c53f" data-vars-headline="Illinois pushes back on latest Trump voting order" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S4-C1-2/ALDE_00013577/" target="_blank">places the job of election administration</a> in the hands of the states and Congress.

Election

Data: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via UC Berkeley; Note: Arrests were counted even if they did not lead to detainment; Multiple arrests of the same individual were counted separately; Chart: Axios Visuals

ICE arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions have soared nationwide, including in Illinois, per data compiled by the Deportation Data Project at the UC Berkeley School of Law.

Why it matters: The surge came after the Trump administration tripled U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's arrest quota, and marks a major shift from the president's pledge to target the "worst of the worst."

By the numbers: In January, ICE arrested 160 people in Illinois, of whom 31% had no criminal charge, an Axios analysis found.

By June, 61% of the 333 people ICE arrested in the state had no criminal charge.

What they're saying: "This disturbing data trend reflects what we've been hearing on the community level and on our hotline: that ICE under the Trump administration is expanding their operations and attacking our families at a rate we haven't seen before," Brandon Lee, communications director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, tells Axios.

The big picture: Nationally, people without criminal charges or convictions averaged 47% of daily arrests in early June — up from about 21% a month prior, before the quota increase, according to Deportation Data Project figures.

The bottom line: The Trump administration is casting a far wider net than initially promised — and Illinois and Chicago are facing increased enforcement as a result.

Go deeper: Noncriminal ICE arrests spiked in June

ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois

New data shows that immigration enforcement is arresting more noncriminals.

A chart that shows ICE arrests in Illinois by criminal status with wavy lines showing the difference between months. 

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ICE arrests" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/06/12/mapped-ice-detentions-in-colorado" data-vars-content-id="74364781-df61-4481-af33-3857109fca8e" data-vars-headline="ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/06/12/mapped-ice-detentions-in-colorado" target="_self">ICE arrests</a> of people without criminal charges or convictions have soared nationwide, including in Illinois, per data compiled by the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Deportation Data Project" data-vars-click-url="https://deportationdata.org/data/ice.html" data-vars-content-id="74364781-df61-4481-af33-3857109fca8e" data-vars-headline="ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://deportationdata.org/data/ice.html" target="_blank">Deportation Data Project</a> at the UC Berkeley School of Law.Why it matters: The surge came after the Trump administration tripled U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="arrest quota" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/immigration-ice-deportations-stephen-miller" data-vars-content-id="74364781-df61-4481-af33-3857109fca8e" data-vars-headline="ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/immigration-ice-deportations-stephen-miller" target="_self">arrest quota</a>, and marks a major shift from the president&#x27;s pledge to target the &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="worst of the worst" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-immigration-crime-ice-criminal-dangerous-violent-99557d9d68642004193a9f4b7668162e" data-vars-content-id="74364781-df61-4481-af33-3857109fca8e" data-vars-headline="ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-trump-immigration-crime-ice-criminal-dangerous-violent-99557d9d68642004193a9f4b7668162e" target="_blank">worst of the worst</a>.&quot;

News

Politics

Public Safety

Data: Fortune; Map: Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios

Illinois ranks in the top 5 when it comes to the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state, according to the magazine's annual list.

Why it matters: U.S. companies are staying put in Illinois even as Republicans claim Gov. Pritzker and the Democrats are taxing them out of town.

State of play: The $55 billion budget that passed last week didn't hit business as hard as some groups feared.

By the numbers: The state hosts 32 Fortune 500 companies and Chicago is home to 24 of their corporate headquarters.

California, Texas and New York all top Illinois with more than 50 in each state.

Walgreens ranks as Illinois' top-earning company on the list, with nearly $150 billion in revenue last fiscal year.

Between the lines: Illinois remained flat from 2024 when 32 companies based in the state made the list. 

LKQ did move from Illinois to Tennessee, but Oakbrook-based Ace Hardware joined the list.

Zoom out: For the 13th consecutive year, Walmart leads the list as the top U.S. company, based on 2024 revenue.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect Walgreens' revenue was $150 billion (not million) last fiscal year (not year).

Illinois lands in top 5 in Fortune 500 HQs

Illinois ranks among the top 5 states for Fortune 500 headquarters, as 32 major companies—including Walgreens and newcomer Ace—make the 2024 list.

A choropleth map of the U.S. showing the number of Fortune 500 companies by state in 2025. California leads with 58, while several states have zero.

Illinois ranks in the top 5 when it comes to the number of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fortune 500 companies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/02/fortune-500-companies-walmart-amazon" data-vars-content-id="7b0fd12f-b7fc-45c2-8f45-4db3169517dd" data-vars-headline="Illinois lands in top 5 in Fortune 500 HQs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/02/fortune-500-companies-walmart-amazon" target="_self">Fortune 500 companies</a> headquartered in the state, according to the magazine&#x27;s annual list.Why it matters: U.S. companies are staying put in Illinois even as Republicans claim Gov. Pritzker and the Democrats are taxing them out of town.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and revoking visas for Chinese students amid a political pressure campaign against colleges and universities and a broader immigration crackdown.

Why it matters: Illinois is one of the top states for international college students.

International students contribute about $2.4 billion to the state economy and more than 23,000 jobs, according to data from NAFSA, an international education nonprofit.

By the numbers: Of the 1.1 million international college students studying in the U.S. during the 2023-24 school year, about 5.5% were studying in Illinois. 

The congressional district that includes the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus has the most international students in the state, with more than 17,000, followed by the district with the University of Chicago, which has about 12,000 students from abroad.

The big picture: The student visa pause comes as the Trump administration has been criticizing U.S. colleges and universities for failing to crack down on what it describes as heightened antisemitism, as students protest Israel's actions in Gaza.

The revocation of Chinese students' visas in particular is tied to concerns that their government is using them "to steal intellectual property on Beijing's behalf," a State Department official told Axios' Marc Caputo.

The other side: Detractors argue that making it harder for international students to come study in the U.S. harms the country's global image, and risks missing out on key talent in hot fields like artificial intelligence.

Many AI startups have at least one immigrant founder, a recent analysis found.

NAFSA says international students contribute $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy overall.

Go deeper: Foreign students consider fleeing Harvard after Trump threats, university says

Trump halting student visas could have $2B risk for Illinois

Illinois is one of the top states for international college students.

A choropleth map of the U.S. showing the share of all international college students by state for the 2023-24 school year. California leads at 12.5%, while Alaska trails at 0.03%.

The Trump administration is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="halting student visa interviews" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/student-visas-trump-social-media" data-vars-content-id="945b7947-e65f-4e1b-aae6-6ac5c3fc6c07" data-vars-headline="Trump halting student visas could have $2B risk for Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/student-visas-trump-social-media" target="_self">halting student visa interviews</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="revoking visas for Chinese students" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/student-visas-china-us-rubio" data-vars-content-id="945b7947-e65f-4e1b-aae6-6ac5c3fc6c07" data-vars-headline="Trump halting student visas could have $2B risk for Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/student-visas-china-us-rubio" target="_self">revoking visas for Chinese students</a> amid a political pressure campaign against colleges and universities and a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="broader immigration crackdown." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/immigration-ice-deportations-stephen-miller" data-vars-content-id="945b7947-e65f-4e1b-aae6-6ac5c3fc6c07" data-vars-headline="Trump halting student visas could have $2B risk for Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/immigration-ice-deportations-stephen-miller" target="_self">broader immigration crackdown.</a>Why it matters: Illinois is one of the top states for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="international college students" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/06/state-department-ai-revoke-foreign-student-visas-hamas" data-vars-content-id="945b7947-e65f-4e1b-aae6-6ac5c3fc6c07" data-vars-headline="Trump halting student visas could have $2B risk for Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/06/state-department-ai-revoke-foreign-student-visas-hamas" target="_self">international college students</a>.<ul><li>International students contribute about $2.4 billion to the state economy and more than 23,000 jobs, according to data from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="NAFSA" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nafsa.org/sites/default/files/media/document/EconValue2024.pdf" data-vars-content-id="945b7947-e65f-4e1b-aae6-6ac5c3fc6c07" data-vars-headline="Trump halting student visas could have $2B risk for Illinois" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nafsa.org/sites/default/files/media/document/EconValue2024.pdf" target="_blank">NAFSA</a>, an international education nonprofit.</li></ul>

Education

Money

Data: UrbanSitter; Note: Metro areas sorted by average rate for 2 children; Chart: Axios Visuals 

If you're looking for a babysitter in Chicago, you're in for a cheaper night than parents in many other cities.

Driving the news: A recent report from UrbanSitter breaks down the hourly rate of sitters for one child and two children in cities across the U.S.

The bad news: Average babysitting rates rose nearly 5% last year, hitting $26.24 per hour for one child and nearly $30/hour on average for two kids.

The good news (for Chicago): The Babysitter's Club will cost you about $22 and nearly $26 for one and two kids, respectively. 

Zoom out: Rates tend to be higher in places with steeper costs of living.

San Francisco ($29.63/hour for one kid) and Seattle ($27.70/hr) have some of the highest rates in UrbanSitter's report.

How much a babysitter will cost you in Chicago

Data shows Chicago parents pay less per hour than families in cities like SF and Seattle.

Chart describing average babysitting rates in 2025

If you&#x27;re looking for a babysitter in Chicago, you&#x27;re in for a cheaper night than parents in many other cities.

Parenting

PHOTO: See Earth from Artemis II's POV

National

Axios San Diego

San Diego's population decline driven by immigration slowdown

San Diego

AA choropleth map of U.S. counties showing estimated population change from July 2024 to 2025. The U.S. overall grew by +0.5%. Kaufman County, Texas, grew the most of any county with a population over 100,000: +5.7%. Pinellas County, Florida shrank the most of any county with a population over 100,000: -1.2%. 

Alex Fitzpatrick

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