McHenry Times

Illinois Senate Republicans have raised concerns over the presence of immigrants with criminal histories in the state, following data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indicating that there are over 600,000 such individuals nationwide. State Senator Craig Wilcox, along with Senators Dave Syverson, Chapin Rose, and Jil Tracy, is pressing for specific information regarding Illinois.

“These are alarming statistics. According to ICE, there are over 435,000 illegals who have been convicted of crimes and another almost 227,000 facing pending charges,” said Wilcox. “Of those, ICE says roughly 62,000 migrants have been convicted of assault, 13,000 convicted of homicide, and more than 15,000 convicted of sexual assault. How many are in Illinois? We don’t know because the data we have is for the entire nation. We want answers.”

The national data was disclosed following a request by U.S. Congressman Tony Gonzales in March and received in late September. The response highlighted issues within the immigration system and noted that “sanctuary policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals…”

Wilcox expressed concern about Illinois law enforcement's inability to collaborate with ICE due to existing legislation like the TRUST Act. Efforts by Senate Republicans to amend this act have not succeeded.

“We are asking for critical information regarding public safety in our districts and in this state,” Wilcox said. “Without question, the TRUST Act and later expansions under Governor Pritzker have made it harder for our law enforcement to keep people safe. Without more information it is difficult to know the full extent of the problem in Illinois.”

Letters seeking detailed data specific to Illinois have been sent to U.S. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul.

“Public safety must be a priority and we cannot afford to leave questions unanswered when it comes to the presence of convicted criminals in our communities,” added Wilcox. “This is about safety, transparency, and accountability. I hope Governor Pritzker, Attorney General Raoul, and legislative Democrats will not back away from transparency on this critical issue. Illinoisans deserve answers.”