When former President Joe Biden took office, he flung the southern border of the United States wide open. During his tenure, millions of illegal immigrants poured into the country, overwhelming local, county, and state government resources and costing taxpayers billions of dollars. Out-of-control illegal immigrant crime also took hold, with horrifying examples of gang activity, carjacking, theft, assault, sexual assault, and murder dominating headlines and disrupting life for American citizens. 

Gov. JB Pritzker continues to wage a war of words with the federal government and President Donald Trump. The latest kerfuffle involves Trump’s plan to send the National Guard into Chicago to fight crime and make communities safer. There is no love lost between Trump and Pritzker, who is exploring a run for the Presidency in 2028. And despite the President’s offer to help save lives and bring law and order to town, Pritzker has rebuffed him at every turn. Politics over safety, and soundbites over common sense, that’s the environment created in Illinois under Pritzker’s leadership.

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.

The national debate on immigration continues to intensify, and California’s recent proposal to offer housing assistance to undocumented immigrants has placed even more attention on how states handle the crisis at hand. The proposed bill in California would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for state-backed home loans of up to $150,000, and with Chicago’s migrant crisis making headlines throughout the year, we must ask ourselves, “is Illinois next?”

Due to the TRUST Act, which was enacted in 2017, Illinois has become a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants. Law enforcement agencies are prohibited from cooperating with federal immigration authorities to detain or deport these individuals. 

The crisis at the southern border can no longer be ignored. In September alone, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended more than 200,000 migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully.