Rockford Sun

State Senators Demand Clarity on Non-Citizen Crime Data

SPRINGFIELD – Four Illinois State Senators are raising concerns over recent federal data indicating hundreds of thousands of non-citizens in local communities have committed or been charged with serious felonies. They are urging state and federal leaders to address the potential impact on public safety.

State Senator Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley), State Senator Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry), State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet), and State Senator Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) have sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, seeking information on how many non-citizens charged with serious crimes might be residing in Illinois.

A report from the United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indicates that 662,000 non-citizens with criminal history or charges are currently in the United States: 435,000 convicted criminals and 226,000 with pending criminal charges. Sen. Syverson emphasizes that this number could be underestimated due to several states, including Illinois, not reporting non-citizen crimes.

“Based on this report and knowing Illinois is a welcoming state, it is easy to conclude there are tens of thousands of non-citizens who have violent criminal histories walking the streets in our communities. In his first week in office, Governor Pritzker issued an Executive Order expanding programs and funding for non-citizens. Later that year, he issued a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State, saying that he consented to illegal immigrants coming here, adding that he wanted to extend to them a warm welcome,” Sen. Syverson said. “Since then, he has repeatedly increased services, on the taxpayers’ dime, to encourage non-citizens to come here. When you roll out the welcome mat but don’t screen who is coming to our state, you end up with the problems that Illinois is now facing.”

Sen. Syverson points out that under Governor Pritzker's administration, funding for non-citizen programs has surged from a few million dollars annually to more than a billion dollars. Additionally, taxes were recently raised by nearly a billion dollars to support these initiatives.

“If you’re a resident of Illinois, you should know that the Governor has given your money to non-citizens, given them free healthcare and millions of your dollars in services, and he has made it nearly impossible to do anything about the criminals who take him up on his offer,” Sen. Syverson said. “The Governor is throwing your money around, and he doesn’t care if your hometown becomes an oasis for criminals from other countries. This cannot continue.”