IMMIGRATION/PUBLIC SAFETY
House Republicans Expose Public Safety Failures of Gov. Pritzker’s Sanctuary State Policies
Reacting to the murder of a Loyola student by an illegal immigrant on Chicago’s lakefront, House Republican Reps. John Cabello, C.D. Davidsmeyer, Patrick Sheehan, and Patrick Windhorst exposed the public safety failures of Governor JB Pritzker’s sanctuary state policies.
Last week, in a devastating act of violence, a Loyola University student was tragically shot and killed by an illegal immigrant who had an outstanding arrest warrant. It is yet another deadly consequence of Governor Pritzker’s failed sanctuary and public safety policies.
On March 19, 18-year-old college student Sheridan Gorman was shot and killed on the Chicago lakefront, a place Governor Pritzker often claims is safe, by an illegal immigrant with prior offenses who was allowed to stay on our streets.
The alleged murderer, Jose Medina, is a Venezuelan national who was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol and released into the country under the Biden Administration’s Open Border Policy. He was then released again on June 19, 2023, following an arrest for shoplifting in Chicago.
At a Capitol press conference Tuesday, State Rep. John Cabello mourned the death of Sheridan Gorman and called for an end to Illinois’ sanctuary policies.
“So the question before us is simple. Have you had enough yet? Have you had enough of the deadly consequences of Gov. Pritzker’s failed policies?” Cabello asked.
State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer discussed how Illinois got here and detailed the public safety failures of Gov. Pritzker and Democrat leadership in Springfield.
“We need to remember how we got here,” Rep. Davidsmeyer said. “None of this happened by accident. This is the direct result of years of failed leadership and misguided priorities. If the borders weren’t open, if these violent criminals weren’t here illegally, Sheridan Gorman and other victims would be alive today. You cannot argue that fact.”
This is just the latest example of how Governor Pritzker’s sanctuary policies and the SAFE-T Act are failing Illinois families. Under Gov. Pritzker and Democratic leadership, we’ve seen:
- Failed sanctuary state policies that, combined with Biden’s Open Border Policy, led to a surge of 550,000 illegal immigrants into Illinois
- More than $3 billion in taxpayer funds being spent on health care and other benefits for illegal immigrants
- A string of horrific crimes committed by violent offenders who were in this country illegally
Sheridan Gorman’s murder is not the first such incident of violent crime committed by illegal immigrants:
- Katie Abraham, and her friend Chloe Polzin, were killed in January 2025 in Urbana when a drunk driver who was an undocumented immigrant struck their car.
- Baltazar Perez-Estrada was charged with first-degree murder after prosecutors said he stabbed Maricela Simon Franco, dozens of times, killing her in front of their children.
- Edwin Pacheco-Meza was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI after Illinois State Police said a crash killed an Illinois couple.
- ABC7 reported Jose Luis Mendoza-Gonzalez, described by DHS as living in the U.S. illegally, was charged with concealment of a death, abuse of a corpse, and obstructing justice after Megan Bos, 37, was found dead in a container on his property.
In response to the Governor’s statements, I released the following:
“Pritzker’s true colors are showing. No one believes that Trump is to blame for Biden’s open border that let this criminal in, or for Pritzker’s failed sanctuary state and soft on crime policies that attract illegal immigrant criminals here. Stop passing the blame, it is within your authority to fix the problem, governor. I am ready to work to repeal the TRUST act, work with law enforcement, and partner with federal authorities to deport the worst of the worst.”
AGRICULTURE
Welcoming students to FFA Agriculture Legislative Day
It was great to see so many blue and gold jackets (with a few green and white sprinkled into the mix) at the Capitol Tuesday for National Agriculture Day and Agriculture Legislative Day!
Thank you to all the students who came to the Capitol and spent time with us discussing Ag legislation.
CHICAGO BEARS
Reps. Ugaste and Keicher: Bears Deal Must Protect Taxpayers, Not Stick Them with the Bill
The following opinion piece by State Representatives Jeff Keicher and Dan Ugaste appeared in The Illinoize on March 25, 2026.
Recently, the lead negotiator on the Chicago Bears stadium proposal suggested Republicans are trying to have it “both ways,” claiming we oppose the deal while also blaming Democrats for potentially losing the team.
That’s simply not true.
Let’s be clear: we want the Chicago Bears to remain in Illinois. We want a world-class stadium that can attract marquee events like Super Bowls, Final Fours, and national conventions that bring real economic activity to our state. Illinois has already watched too many of those opportunities go elsewhere. This year’s Final Four in Indianapolis is just the latest reminder.
But wanting a stadium and supporting a bad deal are not the same thing.
As currently drafted, this proposal puts additional pressure on Illinois’ already overburdened property tax payers. It allows local taxing bodies to shift relief granted to the Bears onto everyone else. In plain terms, that means homeowners and small businesses could end up paying more to make the deal work.
That is a non-starter.
Large-scale economic development projects should ease the tax burden on surrounding communities, not quietly redistribute it. If a deal requires shifting costs onto already tapped-out taxpayers, it’s not a good deal. It’s a bailout disguised as development.
This moment also exposes a much larger issue: Illinois’ ever-increasing property tax burden. For years, Democrats have responded not with reform, but with task forces and working groups. Meanwhile, property taxes continue to rise.
After decades of control, and supermajorities in the General Assembly for the past seven years, the majority party owns this problem.
Let us be clear: we are open to working with the Democrats. But any solution must address the property tax shift and include simple, common sense reforms that protect all taxpayers. We can start by moving all referendum questions to the November ballot, when voter participation is highest. We must end the use of backdoor referenda that sidestep transparency. We need to have discussions for all taxpayers in Illinois in the public square.
Ultimately, the goal is straightforward: any agreement must protect taxpayers, not stick them with the bill.
Read the rest of the opinion piece here.
EDUCATION
36th Annual Cherry Pie Day: Homeschool Advocates Come to the Capitol
Hundreds of homeschool families came to the Illinois State Capitol this week to advocate for homeschooling and speak to lawmakers about the benefits of this educational pathway. The cherry pies are handed out annually to lawmakers – a sweet tradition celebrating thriving homeschool freedom!
I had the opportunity to speak to the group at the Illinois State Library. In my remarks, I acknowledged their impressive advocacy and reminded them to stay vigilant in light of poor public policy that came forward last year that threatened to limit homeschool freedom.
I told them: “You didn’t just show up last year… you showed what’s possible when people refuse to sit quietly. Homeschooling works. It works because you are invested. It works because it’s focused on the child, not the system. And instead of learning from your success…too many under this dome are still trying to control it.”
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Democracy “Inaction” – Democrats put thumb on House scales
This week was “committee deadline week” in the House, when bills must pass out of House committees with recommendations to be heard on the House floor for discussion and debate. Thousands of bills are introduced in each General Assembly and only a fraction of them get a green light to move forward.
When the House adjourned on Friday, March 27, its committees had reported 500 bills to the Illinois House floor for further discussion and debate. Almost 90% of these 500 bills were sponsored by majority Democrats. Although millions of votes are cast on the Republican side by Illinoisans every election day, only 56 of the 500 bills (11%) were sponsored by Republicans. The is was only one-quarter of the Republican percentage of the vote in the most recent general election for President in November 2024. In this election the victorious Republican candidate, Donald Trump, got more than 2.4 million (43.5% of the total cast) votes in Illinois.
OUTDOOR SPORTS
Spring trout season opens
The Spring 2026 Illinois trout season will open on Saturday, April 4. Possession of a fishing license, plus a trout stamp, is required for almost all anglers who want to cast for trout. Exceptions to the fishing license/trout stamp requirement exist in favor of persons who are younger than age 16, blind, a person with disabilities, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Anglers often head towards one of the lakes and ponds of Illinois that have been stocked with trout. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has posted a list of stocked trout fishing locations.
MARCH MADNESS
University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men’s Basketball Team reaches Final Four
In the NCAA 2026 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, UIUC men’s and women’s teams were both invited. With the Western Illinois University (WIU) Women’s Leathernecks, these teams played a series of games that began on Friday, March 20. The WIU women were eliminated last Friday, and the UIUC women’s squad was defeated on Monday.
This weekend, the U of I Fighting Illini men’s basketball team defeated their arch-rival Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, March 27 and will now move onto the final four for the first time in 21 years. Now, Illinois will play UCONN in the national semifinal in Indianapolis on Saturday, April 4
I am a Leatherneck for life, proud graduate of Western Illinois University, but I’ll be cheering on the Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball as they move onward! This is a big moment for Illinois basketball.
UPCOMING EVENTS
I recently launched my annual Spring Photo Contest! Every year I am impressed with the talent of the district – I cannot wait to see the photographs from this year!
I encourage you to participate and help show off the best of northwest Illinois! Check out the details below:
