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* AP…
Two Illinois sheriffs said Tuesday that some violent felons who had faced deportation are instead being released into local communities after their prison terms end as a result of a policy change by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration.
Sheriffs Mike Downey of Kankakee County and Tony Childress of Livingston County told reporters at the state Capitol that they were not given a reason for the policy switch, which they called reckless.
They said Corrections officials announced they were canceling a process under which criminals living in the country illegally were transferred to Pontiac Correctional Center. That’s where Kankakee County sheriff’s deputies picked them up and detained them under contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The sheriffs said they don’t have a number of how many inmates who would have faced deportation were released. Of 223 immigrants transferred from Pontiac to ICE detention in 2019, Downey said 11 were convicted of murder or attempted murder, 37 of predatory criminal sexual assault or abuse, including crimes involving children, and 33 were convicted of a crime involving a weapon.
So, they’re being released like everyone else, except they’re now avoiding deportation.
* As you might expect, the reaction has been thunderous…
State Representative Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake) says Illinois communities are unnecessarily at risk thanks to radical policies at the Illinois Department of Corrections that allows convicted felons to be released.
In 2019, there were 223 immigrants who were transferred to the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee. These individuals had all served time at an IDOC facility and all were felons. They were transferred to the Jerome Combs Detention Center at the request of ICE. Then, beginning in 2020, the notifications for these transfers stopped.
“What is essentially happening here is the Illinois Department of Corrections is releasing people directly into the community and ignoring ICE transfer requests,” Skillicorn said. “These are all felons and many of them are very dangerous people. Our communities are at risk because our own state government refuses to follow federal law. People’s lives are at stake so that Governor JB Pritzker can smile at the TV cameras and talk about how ‘compassionate’ he is. Gov. Pritzker is putting Illinois families at risk and it is wrong.”
Skillicorn said there is no warning about when the prison releases are taking place.
“There is no warning or a heads up to local enforcement about these releases; they are simply just released into the communities where they have been serving time,” Skillicorn said. “People in Illinois communities are at risk and they do not even know it.”
The Kankakee County Sheriff Office reviewed the transfers completed in 2019 and found that the individuals requested by ICE and transferred to the Kankakee correctional facility had been convicted of committing the following crimes in Illinois:
· 36 individuals were found guilty of sexual offenses against minors, including crimes against individuals as young as 5 years old;
· 11 individuals were found guilty of murder, attempted murder or intent to kill or injure;
· 19 individuals were found guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault;
· 33 individuals were found guilty of a criminal offense involving a weapon;
· 50 individuals were found guilty of drug offenses involving a substance other than cannabis;
· 55 individuals were found guilty of felony-level traffic offenses including aggravated DUI, having a fourth DUI or a DUI resulting in death.“I am calling on the Governor and the Illinois Department of Corrections to end this dangerous policy and to work with local enforcement officials,” Skillicorn said. “Dangerous criminals whether they are citizens or illegal immigrants need to be behind bars – not roaming the streets. It is time to put the safety of our citizens and our communities first.”
* More…
State Representative Lindsay Parkhurst (R – Kankakee) issued the following statement in response to a change in Illinois Department of Corrections policy regarding undocumented convicted felons.
“Overnight – and without fanfare – there was a radical policy shift allowing undocumented convicted felons with active detainer warrants to be released from prison directly into the community without notification. Sheriff Mike Downey brought this to my attention and I am appalled there are no answers why. I want to be clear; this is not a policy for simple status offenses. This is not a policy for those deserving amnesty. These are serious dangerous criminal offenders – rapists, murderers, child molesters, and sexual predators. Last year, 223 undocumented convicted felons with active detainer warrants were safely transferred upon release from Illinois prisons. Under this radical new policy, these convicted felons with active detainer warrants are now simply released onto the streets and into our neighborhoods without notice.
I urge a statewide review of this policy and ask the governor to reverse this policy. The policy is dangerous to our children, our elderly, and all residents of Illinois.”
*** UPDATE *** Jordan Abudayyeh at the governor’s office…
“As Donald Trump continues to advance policies that tear apart families and terrorize children, the Pritzker administration is committed to using every tool at our disposal to protect immigrant families in Illinois. The governor’s office is working closely with the Department of Corrections to review current policies, build on the progress made under the bipartisan Illinois Trust Act that was signed into law in 2017, and ensure the protection of immigrant families and all Illinois communities. As this work moves forward, the Department of Corrections will pause the majority of its interactions with ICE. The governor has made it abundantly clear that Illinois will be a firewall against the president’s attacks on immigrant communities.”
Background:
Under the bipartisan Trust Act, the Illinois Department of Corrections is prohibited from detaining an individual solely on the basis of an immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant.
The Trust Act does not impact the length of an individual’s lawful sentence. Those who are incarcerated serve their sentence and then are released.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:11 pm
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I thought if you were not a citizen but here under a Visa of some sort or a green card you were subject to deportation upon release for some crimes. Is that not true? Was it true but no longer true?
Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:16 pm
The order had to come from the IDOC Director for the prisons to do this. Call the Director, ask him where he got his orders. “Any” Illinois Senator or Representative can do this.
Comment by Oldhp Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:16 pm
Is this JB’s way of undermining Blago’s release? /s
Comment by Former Candidate on the Ballot Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:23 pm
They are not being released like everyone else
They are subject to deportation
So much for the oath to faithfully uphold the laws of our country
Tell those eastern bloc yahoos to get with the program
Cook County Democrats have some pandering for votes in minority communities before Election Day
Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:25 pm
How long before one of the immigrant felons released back into the community is arrested on new criminal charges? Who will “own” that politically speaking?
Comment by Law and Order Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:27 pm
“So, they’re being released like everyone else, except they’re now avoiding deportation.”
Exactly. We aren’t treating them worse than we treat citizens when they get released, and that makes a lot of GOPers made *for some reason*.
If ICE wants them, ICE can be waiting outside the prisons to pick them up when they get released. Keep the locals out of it.
Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:29 pm
Not relevant to Illinois, but policies similar to this are the reason why 45’s “America First” agenda resonates with middle-of-the-road America.
I would even say that most of those folks don’t approve of the way the president handles his job, but value his commitment to push *in their perspectives* more pro-American citizen policies.
Comment by Alfred Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:32 pm
Perrid - “ICE can be waiting outside the prisons.” I assume you agree that the Pritzker administration should inform ICE when/where to wait? Because historically, the folks who want to prevent deportation of criminals don’t release that information to ICE.
Pritzker should just come out and admit: I value preventing deportation of violent criminals more than I value the safety of the communities they are released into.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:34 pm
The gov’s response was awful. This is not the detention of otherwise released individuals. This is the refusal to turn over individuals into ICE custody (via their contracted agent).
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:36 pm
I’m really OK with deporting noncitizens who commit felonies, especially dangerous ones. Not sure why anyone would be against it. I can’t think of a country in the world that doesn’t do this. And I’m OK with allowing locals to cooperate with ICE to make it happen.
Comment by Leftish Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:37 pm
Illinois TRUST Act of 2017
Section 15. Prohibition on enforcing federal civil
immigration laws.
(a) A law enforcement agency or law enforcement official shall not detain or continue to detain any individual solely on the basis of any immigration detainer or non-judicial
immigration warrant or otherwise comply with an immigration detainer or non-judicial immigration warrant.
It’s not a policy, Reps. Skillicorn and Parkhurst, it’s the law.
Comment by Woodstocker Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:38 pm
That’s a nice way to gloss over the real issue. The Trust act does not prohibit the State from communicating with ice. It expressly says that is allowed. What appears to be happening here is that Pritzker has decided not to communicate with ice. So ice has no way of knowing when it needs to be standing outside and waiting.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:41 pm
Political calculation by The Gov. Pontiac, Chester, Vandalia, Lincoln, Jacksonville, Dixon all prison towns. JB’s bargaining that his slim support in those area’s is not worth the support of progressives from Cook/collar counties.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:42 pm
Woodstocker - The issue here is solely about cooperating with transfer upon release. Pritzker has chosen to frustrate federal law and prevent the deportation of violent criminals. He should run for reelection on this.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:48 pm
==and prevent the deportation of violent criminals==
He’s not preventing it. He’s just declining to help them do it.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:54 pm
Understand not wanting to cooperate with Trump’s anti-immigrant practices, but a bad move by the Governor. These are not people who didn’t pay traffic tickets or some misdemeanor.
Comment by VerySmallRocks Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 3:55 pm
Anon, this “I value preventing deportation of violent criminals more than I value the safety of the communities they are released into”
is bologna. Criminals are released into communities all the time. Why should I be more scared of an immigrant more than a citizen?
Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:05 pm
Well this is disappointing. These are bad actors, and JB owns them all. He and he alone is allowing them to stay. Hopefully no one lives to regret this decision. Or dies because of it.
Comment by SSL Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:06 pm
By Skillicorn’s logic, no one convicted of a felony should be released from prison.
Some communities choose to work closely with ICE, some communities don’t want to work closely with ICE. This state is a community of the latter, and holding people who have served their sentence for the purposes of immigration enforcement is against the law in Illinois.
Comment by lakeside Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:10 pm
Reps Skillicorn and Parkhurst complained that IDOC “ignored” detainers. The TRUST Act states they shall not be honored. If ICE wants the detainees upon release, they can go in front of a federal judge and request a judicial warrant. It’s not like they don’t know where they are and approx. when they will be released. Last time I checked, the IDOC website is working.
Comment by Woodstocker Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:13 pm
Perrid, one difference is that these folks have no right to be here. We are simply choosing to have more criminals than we must allow. This kind of stuff is what keeps Dems out of the majority. You can be kind hearted without being soft headed.
Comment by Leftish Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:26 pm
How much does a parolee cost the State per year? Now that the Gov has made the decision to return these dangerous convicted felons to the same streets where they committed their crimes, how will this impact the case load for Parole Agents in those Districts? How will releasing persons guilty of sexual offenses against minors affect case load for DCFS in those areas? As you look to cuts necessary if the progressive tax doesn’t pass, how will the increase in crime, including violent crime, crimes against women, sexual assaults on minors, and the illegal drug trade affect not only State expenses but those of the City where these crimes are committed?
But the Gov, and Prgressives approve of releasing them back to the community where they were arrested instead of Feds taking the expense to deport them.
Comment by SOIL M Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:29 pm
==Now that the Gov has made the decision to return these dangerous convicted felons to the same streets where they committed their crimes==
I think their sentences did that. I don’t think the Governor gets to keep people in prison forever.
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:33 pm
45 will be 46 because of this kind of 2ull
Comment by Hippopotamus Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:39 pm
==This kind of stuff is what keeps Dems out of the majority.==
*gestures at the IL House, Senate and all constitutional offices*
Comment by lakeside Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:42 pm
I don’t think the Governor gets to keep people in prison forever.
That was never the point. It was his decision to return them to the streets where they committed their crimes rather than the Feds deporting them.
Comment by SOIL M Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:43 pm
The deportation of convicted felons after their state prison sentence is discharged has been going on long before Trump.
These aren’t immigrants here to make a new life. They are convicted felons that are citizens of other countries. Countries send bad actors from other countries back to their country of citizenship.
If you act up in someone else’s country, you can’t expect them to tolerate it. Why in the world would we? That’s not humanitarian, it’s foolish.
Comment by Winderweezle Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 5:11 pm
Illinois now a sanctuary state for illegal criminal aliens.
Comment by Chichi55 Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 5:26 pm
Illinois gets .50 for every dollar they send the feds and now ICE wants Illinois to do their job for them too? What a bunch of crybabies.
Comment by Muddy trail Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 5:45 pm
My question to Jay Bob is this: what is your number? How many innocent people would have to die before you would think this policy is a bad idea? Or are you so committed to allowing illegal immigration that there is no number?
Comment by Captain Obvious Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 5:54 pm
So, let’s see, if the IRS wants a warrant against a non-citizen who pays taxes (some are legally required to do so), they have to get a judicial warrant. Yet, for that same non-citizen, ICE can use an administrative warrant? Hmm …
Comment by Anyone Remember Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 5:55 pm
== Yet, for that same non-citizen, ICE can use an administrative warrant? ==
That is result of the Federal Patriot Act. If you don’t like it, try to get it changed at the Federal level.
Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 6:05 pm
Sorry folks but at least have the guts to own it. The first line of defense is to blame Trump? Get over yourself. We have laws and you have decided to treat them as a buffet to enforce what you like and ignore what you do not. Fair enough I guess. But at least own it.
Comment by Eire17 Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 6:13 pm
JB often tries to be all things to all voters. He is a gifted orator who can morph his priorities to match various ideologies with his words.Refreshing to see his spokesperson so clear on a litmus test type issue. JB valuing the rights of convict
non-citizen over the safety of citizens is very unambiguous.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 6:20 pm
…gestures at the US Senate, White House, and Supreme Court. It is more of a national problem politically, not an Illinois problem.
Comment by Leftish Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 6:24 pm
=== Demoralized - Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 4:33 pm:
I don’t think the Governor gets to keep people in prison forever. ===
Yeah, that’s what is being discussed here… /s
Geez.
Comment by Cadillac Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 6:48 pm
Apparently Skillcorn would like him to as would some others based on their comments. So buzz off
Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 7:07 pm
=It was his decision to return them to the streets where they committed their crimes rather than the Feds deporting them.=
So ignore the law which was put into effect before he took office. Just out of curiosity, what other laws are on the books that you think Pritzker should be ignoring?
Comment by Pundent Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 7:12 pm
Funny. Most countries like Canada wont even let a felon in, and dui is a felony there yet Illinois allows felons to live among them.???
Comment by Tommy Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 8:17 pm
The right wing will criticize any decision made for any reason without regard to their own ideological position, current law, or facts.
Attempting to administrate the state without earning the criticism of the far right requires being from the far right or paying them off in the fashion that Bruce Rauner or foreign governments have done is an impossible task as their standards are flexible so long as they wind up in the same position as before: against, against, against.
Concepts of the rights and liberties upon which this nation was founded are beyond them — and so here the demagogue against the rights of others because they believe it’s the only thing that will continue to let them hold the reigns of the mobs of the bigots that they rely on.
===yet Illinois allows felons to live among them.===
No one is happy that Blago is back, but you don’t need to rub it in.
Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 9:38 pm
===but you don’t need to rub it in===
Perhaps your most incisive comment yet. lol
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 9:55 pm
So… We can’t even deport child molesters now…
The attempts to defend this are laughable at best… Can’t we all just agree that these people should be deported…
Sickening stuff.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Feb 25, 20 @ 10:55 pm
== We have laws and you have decided to treat them as a buffet to enforce what you like and ignore what you do not. Fair enough I guess. But at least own it.==
So you recommend ignoring the Trust Act?
Comment by 17% Solution Wednesday, Feb 26, 20 @ 6:29 am
I giggle when people don’t know what they’re talking about. Being triggered by the immigration issue is the flavor of the past decade. Wanna hear some facts? Released aliens aren’t committing the most heinous crimes. You know who are? Violent felons who are citizens. Parolees and released felons with multiple convictions. And mostly in Cook Co.
Don’t let the facts get in the way of your prejudice opinions people.
Comment by Clueless Wednesday, Feb 26, 20 @ 8:04 am
===Can’t we all just agree that these people should be deported===
Where should we send Denny Hastert?
Comment by Candy Dogood Wednesday, Feb 26, 20 @ 8:44 am
Does everyone commenting know that Sheriff Downey provides transportation to and from Pontiac at the expense of the taxpayers in Kankakee. But, our County takes in $1 million per month from DHS contract with ICE. This happens in McKenry and Polaski Counties in Illinois as well. Sheriff Downey also houses immigrants that are “nc” no criminal charge as well as minor traffic offenses. Immigrants who have committed violent felony charges need to be immediately deported. Why do the taxpayers in the Country have to imprison them at all. They need to leave the COURTROOM bound to their Countries of origin by DHS. The problem is that we keep ALL immigrants in prisons so we can make $$$$. Make no mistake, America keeps increasing incarceration because it is so profitable.
Comment by Humanbeing Monday, Mar 2, 20 @ 7:53 pm