Illinois under pressure after releasing more than 1,700 immigrants with criminal records
In September, ICE sent a letter to Attorney General Kwame Raoul requesting his cooperation in complying with the agency's detainers against undocumented immigrant criminals. His office did not respond.
CBP agents guard protesters near an ICE facility.
The handling of sanctuary policies in Illinois reignited tensions nationwide after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) claimed that the state released 1,768 foreign nationals with criminal records or charges since Jan. 20, despite federal detainers.
As the agency said in a statement, the crimes included homicides, assaults, robberies, weapons offenses, drug trafficking and sexual abuse.
In a letter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, ICE Director Todd Lyons asked the state to prioritize "public safety" and serve more than 4,000 outstanding warrants on individuals currently in custody in local jurisdictions. The records of this group include, according to ICE, 51 homicides, more than 1,000 assaults and more than 800 sexual predation offenses.
ICE had already requested Illinois' cooperation in September, but claims to have received no response.
Politics
Court Ruling Forces Government to Release Hundreds Detained in Chicago Immigration Operations
Sabrina Martin
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration of maintaining policies that are "threatening the American people’s lives and wellbeing," and demanded that the state halt the releases and reestablish collaboration with federal authorities. "It is common sense," she expressed.
"Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans," she said.
So far, the attorney general's office and the state government have not issued official statements in the face of the new wave of criticism. The clash between the federal government and states with sanctuary policies continues to escalate, in a debate where security, immigration and jurisdiction go head to head.
Some of the worst criminal illegal immigrants released by Governor Pritzker and his fellow Illinois sanctuary politicians include:
- Víctor Manuel Mendoza García, a 49-year-old undocumented Mexican immigrant, was arrested and convicted of three counts of aggravated kidnapping and ransom, and sentenced to 18 years in prison at the Illinois Department of Corrections, Cook County, Ill., Courthouse. The ICE detainer against Mendoza García was not honored. On Nov. 12, ICE arrested Mendoza García, who remains in its custody.
- Juan Morales Martínez, an undocumented immigrant of Guatemalan origin, was arrested following a car accident near Westfield, Ill., where he was a passenger. Initial reports of the accident indicate two fatalities (a county board member and his wife). Police also found an extended magazine and ammunition in the vehicle. On Oct. 25, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed a detainer for Morales Martínez. On Oct. 27, ICE arrested Morales following his release from the Clark County Jail. The jail did not cooperate with ICE, but its agents became suspicious of his release and conducted an enforcement action outside. He has been removed from the United States.
- Amilcar Waldo González Jiménez, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was arrested and convicted of one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and domestic violence, and two counts of criminal sexual assault. The ICE detainer against González Jiménez was not honored. On Nov. 13, ICE arrested González Jiménez.
- Juan Alberto Caro Marin, an undocumented immigrant of Mexican origin, was arrested and convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against the victim and her family, and sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The ICE detainer against Caro Marin was not honored. On Nov. 9, ICE arrested Caro Marin, who is currently in their custody.
- Jose Manuel Fuentes Vargas, an undocumented immigrant of Mexican origin, was arrested for domestic violence, violation of a protective order, and convicted of sexual assault against a victim under the age of 13. The ICE detainer against Fuentes Vargas was not honored. On Oct. 30, ICE arrested Fuentes Vargas, who is currently in its custody.
- Leonardo Ignot-Osto, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, entered the United States illegally on at least four occasions. Ignot has a lengthy criminal history dating back to a Dec. 27, 2010 conviction for robbery in Cook County. Most recently, on Sept. 18, 2025, Cook County convicted him of kidnapping / luring a minor / victim of a minor under the age of 17, sentencing him to one year in prison. Despite an immigration detainer filed on Sept. 23, 2025 at the Cook County Jail, Ignot was released. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was able to locate and apprehend him, and on Nov. 19, 2025, he was removed from the United States.
- Jaime Mandujano-Núñez, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was sentenced to 17 years in prison at the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) after being convicted on Feb. 9, 2012, of predatory sexual assault against a minor in Cook County. On Dec. 11, 2024, ERO Chicago filed multiple immigration detainers with the IDOC. However, on an unknown date, the IDOC released Mandujano and reintegrated him back into the community without complying with the ICE detainers. Mandujano was located and apprehended by ICE, who removed him from the United States on Nov. 15, 2025.
- Alfonso Batalla García, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico with a criminal record that included arrests for assault, carrying or possessing a firearm, assault with bodily injury, domestic violence and Cook County charges. Batalla was ultimately convicted in 2001 of attempted murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault with bodily injury and aggravated kidnapping, sentencing him to 30 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). The IDOC refused to comply with the ICE immigration detainer and released Batalla on an unknown date. ICE successfully apprehended Batalla and removed him from the United States on Nov. 5, 2025.
- Guillermo García-Porcayo, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was arrested by the Chicago Police Department for aggravated assault and serious bodily injury. On Feb. 9, 2018, García was convicted in Cook County of attempted murder with intent to kill and sentenced to 12 years in prison by the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). On July 2, 2018, ERO Chicago filed an immigration detainer with the IDOC. On June 25, 2025, the IDOC released him and reintegrated him back into the community without complying with the ICE detainer. On July 15, 2025, ERO Chicago removed him from the U.S. to Mexico.
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A website to find "the worst of the worst"
According to the agency, the platform collects data on "hundreds of thousands" of individuals with felony records—including homicide, assault, sexual abuse, drug trafficking and armed robbery—who were arrested and subsequently removed from different communities across the country.
The DHS stated that 70% of ICE arrests are of individuals charged with or convicted of crimes in the U.S., a figure that excludes international fugitives, suspected gang members, terrorists and human rights violators.
The launch is part of the presidential promise to prioritize the removal of those it considers "the worst of the worst," per the DHS. The page started with 10,000 documented arrests and will be updated regularly.
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