Yesterday, during a media availability, Governor Pritzker briefly got one thing right when he admitted there have been “real failures” in immigration enforcement. But once again, he is trying to blame the federal government for problems his own policies helped create.

Governor Pritzker wants to point fingers over the ongoing crisis of illegal immigrants committing crimes in Illinois, but he cannot escape his own record. The Governor attempted to blame Washington for bad immigration policy but under the current administration, border crossings are at their lowest levels in years.

The Governor can blame Washington all he wants, but here in Illinois, he has spent years undermining the very enforcement efforts he now claims are not working.

Last week, in a devastating act of violence, a Loyola University student was tragically shot and killed by an illegal immigrant who had an outstanding arrest warrant. It is yet another deadly consequence of Governor Pritzker’s failed sanctuary and public safety policies.

Illinois’ sanctuary state policies have created an environment where law-abiding families are left vulnerable, and violent offenders slip through the cracks. Time and again, dangerous individuals who should never have been on our streets have been allowed to remain free, with devastating consequences. These tragedies are not isolated incidents, they are the direct result of failed leadership and reckless policies that put politics ahead of public safety. Leaders in Illinois should allow ICE to do their jobs. 

Governor JB Pritzker appeared on national television once again this past weekend, joining Face the Nation and Meet the Press for a round of interviews that brought about more questions than answers. While the Governor attempted to project confidence and control, his remarks revealed a troubling pattern: downplaying violent crime, contradicting his own immigration policies, and defending one of the most gerrymandered congressional maps in the country. 

Since taking office in 2019, Governor JB Pritzker has drastically expanded rights and benefits for illegal immigrants, while ignoring Illinoisans in the process. During his tenure, he has allowed non-citizens to obtain driver’s licenses, strengthened the TRUST Act (Illinois’ sanctuary state law), allowed undocumented children to have access to a free public education, offered healthcare benefits and free housing to those here illegally, required state agencies to expand their services to include non-citizens, and other high-cost projects that divert resources from Illinoisans. 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Springfield on Wednesday, where she blasted Illinois' sanctuary state policy protecting undocumented immigrants. During her visit, Secretary Noem highlighted how sanctuary policies in Illinois have unleashed violence on American citizens — including rape, sexual assault, murder, and more — while shielding the illegal aliens responsible from facing consequences.

Illinois House Republican State Representatives C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Murrayville), Mike Coffey (R-Springfield), and Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) held a Capitol news conference during Committee Deadline Week to denounce Illinois’ costly and dangerous “Sanctuary State” policy.