Chicago police release over 500 criminal illegal aliens despite ICE detainers
Chicago police and Illinois correctional agencies released more than 500 illegal‑alien detainees with criminal histories between July 2024 and June 2026, despite receiving ICE detainer requests for each person, according to a House Judiciary Committee interim staff report released on Oct. 2.
The report documents 408 criminal‑alien releases by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in 2025 alone, and nearly 100 releases by the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2024‑2025. Chicago police received approximately 1,136 federal detainers during the same period and turned none over.
Sanctuary policies in Illinois and Chicago limit cooperation with federal immigration officials. The state law, first enacted under former Gov. Bruce Rauner and tightened by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2021, bars local agencies from holding individuals solely on civil immigration warrants. Chicago’s ordinance, updated in 2021, expressly prevents the police department from detaining, arresting or transferring anyone based only on immigration status.
Specific cases cited in the report illustrate the public‑safety implications. In January 2025, CPD released an Ecuadorian illegal alien accused of assault and child‑luring despite an ICE detainer; two weeks later the same individual was linked to a robbery and a homicide. A separate domestic‑violence offender was released after a 2025 arrest, re‑arrested a year later on the same charges, and faced additional resisting‑officer counts.
Earlier releases also resulted in serious crimes. A Mexican national serving a 30‑year sentence for attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping was freed by IDOC, later committing robbery and murder. In 2019, a Mexican national released after a theft charge was accused of sexually assaulting a three‑year‑old girl in a McDonald’s bathroom.
High‑profile murders have been linked to individuals who should have been transferred to ICE. In March 2026, Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman was killed by Venezuelan illegal alien Jose Medina‑Medina, who had been released after a 2023 border release and later failed to appear for a shoplifting case. In January 2025, a Guatemalan illegal alien caused a fatal drunk‑driving crash that killed Ohio University student Katie Abraham.
State and local officials defend the releases as compliance with Illinois law, which distinguishes between civil immigration warrants and criminal warrants signed by judges. Critics argue the policies effectively shield known violent offenders from federal custody, creating a “dangerous consequence” for community safety.
The committee’s investigation continues, with calls from congressional Republicans for Illinois lawmakers to answer for the releases and for stricter enforcement of ICE detainers moving forward.
