Illinois

The Illinois Sheriffs' Association 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, representing the statewide law enforcement group, told reporters at the state Capitol that the Illinois Department of Corrections has stopped coordinating the transfer to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of released inmates who are in the country illegally. Downey said it's akin to giving the ex-inmates a “head start to evade federal law."

“It's alarming to think that because of a change in policy that suddenly these types of individuals might be walking the streets and we might not even be aware of it," said Sen. Jason Barickman of Bloomington, one of several GOP lawmakers to sign a letter seeking legislative hearings. “We're here to first of all call on the administration to reverse this reckless policy and ensure the public that they're safe.”

But an immigration expert said the practice violates the state Trust Act, the 2017 law that limits local law enforcement agencies' cooperation with federal immigration officials.

The sheriffs' concerns came just days after the Trump administration announced the unusual step of dispatching Customs and Border Patrol Agents to interior locales such as Chicago and other “sanctuary cities" which have set up impediments to customs enforcement.

Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh called the policy switch a “pause” in Corrections' interactions with ICE while Pritzker's staff reviews it and other procedures.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WRSP) — One in seven Illinois residents is an immigrant, according to the American Immigration Council.

"I think right now immigrants feel horribly vulnerable,” said Senator Don Harmon, D-Oak Park.

Senator Harmon passed a measure out of committee Wednesday to create safe zones for immigration enforcement in Illinois.

Madison— Joining GOP officials from other states, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and other Republican here said Monday that they would oppose the settling of Syrian refugees in the state.

"Along with governors across the country, I have deep concerns about (President Barack Obama's) plan to accept 10,000 or more Syrian refugees, especially given that one of the Paris attackers was reportedly a Syrian refugee. In consultation with our (Wisconsin National Guard) Adjutant General (Donald Dunbar), who also serves as my Homeland Security Advisor, it is clear that the influx of Syrian refugees poses a threat," Walker said in a statement.

"I am calling upon the president to immediately suspend the program pending a full review of its security and acceptance procedures. The state of Wisconsin will not accept new Syrian refugees."

Likewise Monday, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said that he opposed the proposed settling of the refugees in the wake of Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris that left more than 100 dead.

Questions have been raised about the potential role of refugees in the killings, for which the Islamic State terrorist group has claimed responsibility.

Vos said he and other lawmakers would be sending a letter later Monday to the Obama administration asking them not to allow Syrian refugees into Wisconsin. He said he hoped Gov. Scott Walker would also speak out on the issue.

"Our state and our country must do everything we can to protect freedom-loving people around the globe," Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) told his colleagues.

You can see here which states thus far are refusing to admit any more Syrians.

 SPRINGFIELD, ILL. (IRN) – How many studentsare eligible for immigration relief under the president’s order?

The estimate is 800,000 nationally, and 95,000 in Illinois, says Josh Hoyt of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.