A fresh clash over public safety erupted this week as federal immigration officials accused Illinois authorities of repeatedly releasing dangerous criminal offenders who are in the country illegally — even when federal detainers were already in place.
According to Fox News, the warning came in a letter from Todd Lyons, the senior official performing the duties of ICE director, who told state leaders that Illinois is holding — and releasing — individuals tied to some of the most serious felony crimes in the state.
Lyons said Illinois currently has “tens of thousands of criminal illegal aliens” cycling through its system, a group that includes offenders linked to murder, rape, armed robbery, and child exploitation.
He stressed 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.”
ICE data shared with Fox News Digital indicates the problem has escalated since the beginning of 2025.
According to the agency, Illinois has already released 1,768 criminal aliens with active detainers this year alone.
Those individuals, ICE said, were tied to crimes such as homicides, assaults, burglaries, weapons offenses, and sexual-predatory acts.
Another 4,015 offenders with pending detainers remain in state or local custody. That group, ICE noted, includes people connected to 51 homicide cases and more than 800 sexual-predatory offenses.
Federal officials also provided several examples showing where detainers were ignored, forcing ICE officers to pursue the offenders after they had already been set free.
Among them was Victor Manuel Mendoza-Garcia, convicted of three counts of aggravated kidnapping.
Another was Juan Morales Martinez, linked to a fatal vehicle crash. ICE also pointed to Amilcar Waldo Gonzalez-Jimenez, who was convicted of two counts of criminal sexual assault.
In every instance, the agency said local officials released the individuals without notifying ICE.
Other cases involved people convicted of attempted murder, child abduction, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, and aggravated kidnapping.
Some of those offenders were eventually tracked down, re-arrested, or removed from the country, according to ICE records.
Lyons warned that Illinois’ refusal to honor immigration detainers “plainly jeopardizes public safety” and pressed state leaders to clarify whether they intend to change direction — or continue releasing individuals who federal officials argue are likely to “walk the streets of Illinois again.”
