Since Donald Trump became president in January, Sanctuary Illinois has released nearly 1,800 undocumented immigrants charged with various crimes—including serious offenses like murder and assault—into local communities, according to new statistics.
Todd Lyons, Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), shared this information on Monday. He urged Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to take into account the more than 4,000 active detainees whose agency has filed complaints against criminal undocumented immigrants in sanctuary areas.
Specifically, Lyons highlighted that Illinois has disregarded the status of 1,768 ICE detainees by allowing undocumented immigrants to return to neighborhoods. Among those released, five faced murder charges, 141 were charged with assault, 23 with robbery, 10 with sex crimes, four with drug offenses, and 15 with weapons offenses.
Meanwhile, of the over 4,000 undocumented immigrants currently in ICE custody in Illinois, 51 have been charged with murder, 1,134 with assault, 107 with robbery, and others with similar serious crimes.
“Governor Pritzker and other Illinois officials are endangering American lives by letting murderers and other serious criminals back into our communities,” stated Tricia McLaughlin from the Department of Homeland Security.
“We urge Governor Pritzker to put an end to this reckless approach and honor the detainee status of the over 4,000 criminal undocumented immigrants in Illinois. This is simply a matter of common sense. Criminals should not be released to continue victimizing innocent Americans.”
ICE officials pointed out instances where Illinois has not honored detainer requests, allowing criminal undocumented immigrants like Victor Manuel Mendoza Garcia to go free despite serious convictions, such as kidnapping for ransom.
In another case, Juan Morales Martinez from Guatemala was involved in a fatal car accident and was later arrested by ICE after being released from local jail. Reports indicated that the accident led to two deaths, and police found illegal firearms in the vehicle.
Amilcar Waldo Gonzalez Jimenez, another undocumented immigrant, faced multiple charges including domestic assault and sexual offenses but was also released without proper consideration given to ICE’s detainer. ICE detained him later.
Juan Alberto Caro Marin, and Jose Manuel Fuentes Vargas, both from Mexico, were also arrested for severe offenses but ICE indicated that their detainer requests were not honored, allowing their initial releases.
Leonardo Ignot Ost’s criminal past showed multiple illegal entries into the U.S., leading to various convictions, yet he too was released against ICE’s wishes but was later apprehended and deported.
Jaime Mandujano Nunez, who was convicted of predatory sexual assault of a child, was similarly released by Illinois authorities despite ICE’s requests, and he was ultimately detained and deported afterward.
Guillermo Garcia-Porcayo was another individual released after being convicted of serious crimes, highlighting a troubling trend of undocumented immigrants being allowed back into communities despite their criminal backgrounds.
