ICE Warns Illinois Over Release of Criminal Immigrants Despite Detainers
In a strongly worded letter to Illinois officials, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has raised serious concerns about the state’s practice of releasing undocumented immigrants with criminal records despite active federal detainer requests. Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, highlighted that Illinois currently has “tens of thousands” of undocumented immigrants in custody who have been convicted of serious crimes ranging from murder and rape to child pornography and armed robbery. Lyons emphasized that these individuals “should be swiftly removed from the United States… and not be returned to our streets to wreak havoc on law-abiding citizens.” The letter represents an escalating tension between federal immigration authorities and states that have adopted policies limiting cooperation with ICE detainers.
According to data provided by ICE, Illinois has released 1,768 individuals with active immigration detainers since January 2025. These releases include people convicted of violent crimes including homicides, assaults, burglaries, weapons offenses, and sexual predatory crimes. The agency further noted that an additional 4,015 individuals with pending detainers remain in state or local custody, with 51 of these cases involving homicide charges and more than 800 related to sexual offenses. These numbers paint a troubling picture of the potential public safety implications of non-cooperation policies, according to federal immigration officials who argue that their primary concern is protecting communities from individuals who pose demonstrated risks.
The letter details several specific cases where detainers were ignored, requiring federal officers to conduct separate operations to locate these individuals after their release from local custody. One such case involved Victor Manuel Mendoza-Garcia, convicted of three counts of aggravated kidnapping. Another involved Juan Morales Martinez, who was connected to a fatal vehicle crash. A third case highlighted Amilcar Waldo Gonzalez-Jimenez, convicted of two counts of criminal sexual assault. In each instance, ICE reports that local agencies failed to provide notification before releasing these individuals back into communities. The agency contends that these releases create unnecessary risks and strain federal resources that could be better utilized elsewhere.
Other troubling cases cited by ICE involve individuals convicted of child abduction, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, attempted murder, and additional instances of aggravated kidnapping. The letter seems designed to highlight the most serious cases to make the strongest possible argument for compliance with detainers. ICE notes that while some of these individuals were eventually re-arrested or successfully removed from the United States following their initial release from state custody, these outcomes required additional law enforcement efforts that could have been avoided through cooperation with the original detainers. The situation reflects the complex and often contentious relationship between federal immigration enforcement and local criminal justice priorities.
The dispute highlights broader tensions in the U.S. immigration system, where federal authorities and state governments often have conflicting approaches. Supporters of Illinois’ policies might argue that cooperation with ICE detainers can undermine community trust in local law enforcement, potentially making immigrants less likely to report crimes or cooperate with police. They may also point to concerns about due process, noting that immigration detainers are administrative requests rather than judicial warrants. However, ICE counters that their focus is specifically on individuals who have already been convicted of serious crimes and pose demonstrated threats to public safety, not on the broader immigrant population.
Lyons concluded his letter with a pointed question, asking whether Illinois intends to change its approach or continue releasing individuals who may pose ongoing risks to community safety. He warned that the state’s current refusal to honor immigration detainers “plainly jeopardizes public safety” and creates unnecessary dangers. While ICE provided documentation showing that some of the released individuals were eventually recaptured, the agency’s position is that these secondary enforcement actions represent wasted resources and unnecessary risks that could be avoided through cooperation with the original detainer requests. The standoff between Illinois and federal immigration authorities represents just one front in the ongoing national debate over immigration enforcement priorities and the proper balance between federal authority and local discretion in matters of public safety.
