FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois’ sanctuary policies came under fire Tuesday after a tragic head-on collision claimed the lives of both the mother of a former WNBA player and an undocumented migrant with prior DUIs.
According to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday, August 6th, Darcy Brunner, 61, the mother of former NCAA and WNBA player Sophie Brunner, was killed in a head-on collision with Rolando Ico-Choc, 30, a native of Guatemala.
Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Sen. Andrew Chesney (R-45th) said Ico-Choc was known to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for several prior DUI arrests, and had a detainer issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Stephenson County Sheriff Steven Stovall said toxicology tests were still pending, but said Ico-Choc’s Nissan Altima crossed the center line while driving southbound on Illinois Route 26, around 12:38 p.m. Saturday, striking Brunner’s Ford Edge head-on.
“This wouldn’t have happened in Indiana or Iowa,” Chesney said. “In those states, repeat criminal offenders who are in this country illegally aren’t released back into the public. Violent criminals with no regard for our safety or our lives are removed before they can kill. However, Illinois’ TRUST Act and Governor Pritzker’s sanctuary state policies have created a revolving door for dangerous criminals.”
The TRUST Act, signed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) in 2017, prevents state law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. It was amended by the Way Forward Act, which added additional requirements and protections.
Chesney has introduced Senate Bill 1313, which would reverse the 2017 law and ensure “undocumented immigrants charged with or convicted of a felony are identified, reported, and deported,” according to a press release.
“This is not just a tragedy, it is a policy failure that may have been preventable,” said Rep. Tony Maccombie (R-89th). “Every law we pass in Springfield has consequences. Too often, the consequences of ‘soft on crime’ laws fall on families that are innocent. How many more lives have to be lost before we take action?”
“I hold JB Pritzker personally responsible,” said Rep. John Cabello (R-90th). “I hold Democrats personally responsible. This should not have happened, period. We have a life that was taken by somebody that shouldn’t have been here.
“There are millions of people who come to this great nation legally. That’s what we want. That’s what tax-paying citizens deserve. We want people to come here. Just follow the laws to get here. Follow the laws when you come here and stay here and raise a family, be good serving citizens to your family and friends. But we can’t continue to allow this stuff to happen. The interest of justice is more important thatn anything else,” Cabello continued.
Illinois prevents local authorities from cooperating with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) by way of the TRUST Act, the Way Forward Act, the Welcoming City Act, and a Cook County ordinance.
Gov. Pritzker has said that violent noncitizens “should be imprisoned and, or if they’re illegal, undocumented in this country and they are committing violent crimes they should be deported and turned over to authorities in their countries.”
“We should be protecting residents of the state of Illinois, even if they’re undocumented residents, and providing a path to citizenship,” Pritzker added.
Pritzker was summoned to testify before a congressional committee on Illinois’ sanctuary policies for undocumented migrants in June.
“Illinois follows the law, but let me be clear: we expect the federal government to follow the law too,” Pritzker told the Republican-led House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. “We will not participate in abuses of power. We will not violate court orders. We will not ignore the Constitution.”
“I have seen firsthand how states have had to shoulder the consequences of a broken immigration system,” Pritzker testified. “I’m proud of how we have responded by promoting public safety, treating people with dignity, supporting our economy and respecting the rule of law.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blasted the state’s sanctuary laws during a May visit to the Illinois Capitol, saying “This governor has bragged about Illinois being a firewall against President Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda, and it’s very clear he’s violating the Constitution of the United States because it is a federal law that the federal government and the president set to enforce immigration policy.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
