Homeland Security chief blasts Pritzker, Chicago’s mayor over criminal immigrants

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Illinois on Friday to call out Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, accusing both Democrats of “being obstructionist” when it comes to getting criminal illegal immigrants off the streets. 

Noem, speaking in a Chicago suburb, highlighted the recent ICE arrests of a Mexican illegal immigrant convicted of predatory sexual criminal assault against a victim under the age of 13, a Polish national convicted of attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery and an illegal immigrant from Micronesia with three DUI convictions. 

“These individuals would still be out on our streets today committing crimes and attacking people and harming them and hurting our children if Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson had their way. Because their choice has been routinely over and over and over again to release these criminals back on the streets,” Noem said. 

“The debate over so-called sanctuary policies has real consequences and has consequences for our law enforcement officers, but also for the families that live here and the businesses that are just trying to provide for their community,” she added. 

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Representatives for both Pritzker and Johnson did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. 

“I’m here today because the elected leaders in this state of Illinois are ignoring the law. In fact, they’re being obstructionist when it comes to getting dangerous criminals off of their streets,” Noem also said. “They are deciding the dangerous criminals that are murderers, rapists, money launderers, have committed assault, that are trafficking children are more important than the families that live in the communities here.”  

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“That includes Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson and others who have worked so hard to protect these dangerous criminals. They’d rather be a sanctuary state and continue to put those individuals above American citizens, American citizens who built this country, who have raised their families here for generations,” Noem added. 

Noem also told reporters Friday that “In just the last seven months, ICE has issued over 1,664 detainers in Chicago alone,” marking a “106% increase” over what was issued during the Biden administration.  

“Unfortunately,” she said, “Chicago and its leadership has only honored 8% of those.”