House Speaker Mike Johnson visited a Chicago Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for opposing federal immigration enforcement efforts. Johnson argued the ICE agents are understaffed and overwhelmed while attempting to remove dangerous criminals, noting Chicago has received over 51,000 migrants from the southern border since August 2022.
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) is urging Illinois sheriffs to disregard Governor J.B. Pritzker's sanctuary policies and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Miller has been a vocal opponent of Democratic efforts to limit immigration enforcement in the state.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of two Venezuelan nationals suspected of perpetrating a December 2024 mass shooting at a Chicago house party that killed three people. The suspects were linked to the Tren de Aragua gang, and authorities also arrested sixteen additional gang members and associates in connection with the incident.
Fernando Lorenzo-Raymundo, a 36-year-old Guatemalan national released into the U.S. by the Biden administration after crossing the southern border in March 2024, was arrested and charged with a fatal hit-and-run in Champaign, Illinois. The incident killed James McCammon, a 58-year-old man in a wheelchair, in early March 2025.
Illinois law enforcement officials argue that the state's sanctuary laws preventing cooperation with federal immigration authorities compromise public safety. The Illinois Sheriffs Association warns that approximately 700,000 active ICE administrative arrest warrants cannot be addressed, and local police may be unaware of immigration enforcement activities in their jurisdictions.
Two migrants in the U.S. illegally have been charged with murdering a 63-year-old Chicago resident whose body was discovered bound with duct tape. The suspects allegedly met the victim through a dating app and robbed him during what may have been a targeted attack.
Olivia Hayes, whose husband Wesley was killed in a drunk-driving crash allegedly involving an undocumented immigrant in October 2024, praised President Trump's immigration enforcement policies. She emphasized that border security measures have resulted in a significant decrease in illegal crossings and argued such policies prevent tragedies like hers.
Nearly two dozen state attorneys general filed a brief supporting the Trump administration's legal action against Illinois, Chicago, and Cook County, claiming their sanctuary policies encourage unauthorized immigration while shifting responsibility to other states. The filing seeks a court order forcing these jurisdictions to resume cooperation with federal immigration authorities regarding deportations of criminal aliens.
Ricardo Gonzales, a 32-year-old high-ranking member of the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, was arrested in Cobb County, Georgia by the U.S. Marshals Service. Gonzales had a warrant from the Chicago Police Department for kidnapping and is wanted on probable cause for two counts of first-degree murder stemming from an incident in which three women were shot in the head.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced that the United States secured custody of 29 defendants from Mexico facing charges related to racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, illegal use of firearms, and money laundering. The defendants include leaders of drug cartels designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG.
