Illinois’ Republican Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation shielding the nearly 500,000 illegal aliens from federal immigration law.

Rauner signed the sanctuary state bill into law on Monday, making it illegal for law enforcement to arrest or detain illegal aliens solely based on their immigration status, the Chicago Tribune noted.

The new law will essentially make it impossible for Illinois police to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when they have a suspected criminal illegal alien on their hands, thus increasing the possibility that they will be freed back into the general public.

The sanctuary state law also makes it illegal for local law enforcement to arrest an illegal alien, even if the individual is wanted by ICE for immigration violations.

Rauner’s signing of the sanctuary state law ushers in a new era for Illinois. Currently, there is a booming illegal alien population of more than 450,000, according to Pew Research. Of those illegal aliens in the state, more than 70 percent are from Mexico. As Breitbart Texas reported, the open borders lobby cheered the new law, saying it will “attract more immigrants” to the state.

The big business lobby in Illinois is also likely to support the law, as the Chicago Council on Global Affairs recently asked that the state bring in more immigrants to take low-skilled jobs, despite a widespread problem with African-American youth unemployment, as Breitbart Texas reported.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.