SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Representative Amy Elik (R-Alton) joined House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) and Representative John Cabello (R-Machesney Park) to demand transparency on the illegal immigration crisis in Illinois.
Leader McCombie called out Democrats’ sneaky tactics to avoid responsibility for their actions.
“[Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson] pander to their political base, passing out of touch immigration reforms, and then when those policies ultimately fail, they spread false information, withhold key details, blame anyone but themselves and refuse to answer basic questions about the impact of these policies,” said McCombie.
Rep. Cabello pointed to the public safety concerns and called on House Democrats to repeal the TRUST Act, which prevents Illinois law enforcement from adequately communicating with ICE to detain and deport violent criminals.
Rep. Elik called out the financial impact of over 530,000 illegal immigrants who are in Illinois today, which costs Illinois taxpayers over $1,000,000,000 per year.
“Illinois simply cannot afford to spend over 1 billion dollars per year on food, housing, and healthcare for illegal immigrants,” said Elik. “That’s 1 billion dollars that could be used to fight homelessness and inflation, or properly fund state programs that have been neglected. It has to stop. As long as Illinois continues to put illegal immigrants above Illinois families, we will continue to see families and businesses leaving this state in droves. It’s bad public policy that has gotten us to this place. This should not be a partisan issue: Illinois citizens should come first.”
Watch Leader McCombie, Rep. Cabello, and Rep. Elik’s remarks below.