Illinois Releases Nearly 1,800 Criminal Illegals, Ignores ICE Detainers: DHS

Gov. Pritzker’s administration has instructed correctional facilities to not honor federal requests to hand over custody of illegal immigrant criminals.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks in Chicago on Aug. 4, 2021. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Illinois has released 1,768 criminal illegal aliens back into the community this year despite federal detainer requests, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Dec. 8.

Those who were released were convicted of various crimes, including homicide, assault, burglary, robbery, serious drug offenses, weapons offenses, and sexual predatory offenses, according to federal officials.

“We are calling on Governor Pritzker and his administration to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 4,000 criminal illegal aliens in Illinois’ custody,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “It is common sense. Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.”

According to DHS, 4,015 criminal illegal immigrants remain in the custody of an Illinois jurisdiction and have active detainer requests. Among those still in custody, 51 have allegedly committed murder, 107 are accused of burglary, 1,134 have allegedly committed assault, and 813 are accused of sexual predatory offenses.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons sent a letter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in September asking him to consider the safety of Americans and honor ICE arrest detainers for criminal illegal immigrants in state custody.

ICE sends detainer requests asking states to notify ICE when a criminal illegal immigrant is released from jail or prison, to ensure that person’s transfer into federal custody.

In January, Pritzker told CNN’s “State of the Union” that he wanted violent criminals who were illegally in the country to be sent back to their home countries.

“We hope they do get deported,” Pritzker said.

However, on Jan. 23, Pritzker’s administration instructed the Illinois Department of Corrections to not honor federal immigration detainers.

“The Illinois Department of Corrections is prohibited from detaining an individual solely based on an immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant,” prison officials stated. “All individuals in custody are to be released at the expiration of their sentence.”

Pritzker’s opposition to federal immigration enforcement in Illinois has grown following the Trump administration’s operations in Chicago.

The governor also signed an executive order in October to create an Illinois Accountability Commission task force to document alleged “unlawful acts” by federal agents working for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE agencies.

People detained earlier in the day are taken to a parking lot on the far north side of Chicago before being transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, on Oct. 31, 2025. Jamie Kelter Davis/Getty Images

Pritzker alleged that federal agents are attacking people because of the color of their skin.

His task force will be made up of nine people appointed by him and will be charged with capturing and creating public records of federal law enforcement and recommending to the governor actions to hold the federal government accountable.

Pritzker’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.