Today, America First Legal (AFL) released explosive public records revealing the latest example of a sanctuary jurisdiction flooding the country with illegal aliens via catch-and-release policies. AFL uncovered records showing that, in 2025 alone, Cook County, Illinois, refused to honor more than 410 detainers from ICE — allowing criminal illegal aliens to reenter American communities rather than allowing ICE to simply detain them while they are already in custody.
These releases have deadly real-world consequences. The House Judiciary Committee recently exposed the Biden-era release of a criminal illegal alien who murdered Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman in Chicago. Apprehended at the southern border in 2023 and flagged as “likely to abscond,” he was nevertheless released from custody, allowing him to disappear into the interior and ultimately commit this heinous crime.
ICE detainers are straightforward requests: hold the alien already in local custody until federal officers can arrive. All Cook County had to do was not release the alien. Yet, under the policies of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Cook County repeatedly chose catch-and-release over cooperation with federal law enforcement.
Pritzker’s “Illinois Trust Act” and sanctuary state mandates actively obstruct Americans’ demand for mass deportations. The law prevents state and local law enforcement from detaining illegal aliens for ICE, handing them over to federal authorities, or even notifying ICE of impending release dates so ICE can be ready to take custody on the jailhouse steps. These sanctuary requirements create a dangerous cycle of mass catch-and-release that prioritizes criminal illegal aliens over public safety.
Leftist politicians like J.B. Pritzker go above and beyond to implement America Last policies that protect illegal aliens, allowing them to colonize our communities — all while arrogantly disregarding federal law and the safety of American citizens.
“Cook County and the State of Illinois have turned sanctuary policies into a deadly shield for criminal illegal aliens,” said Will Scolinos, Attorney at America First Legal. “By releasing hundreds of illegal aliens despite explicit ICE detainers in just one year, sanctuary laws endangered American lives. The tragic murder of Sheridan Gorman is the predictable outcome of pro-illegal alien madness that has infiltrated the Blue States. America First Legal will continue to expose this lawlessness, demand full accountability, and fight to restore the rule of law and protect American sovereignty.”
Read the records here.
Read more about the investigation here.
Learn more about AFL’s fight against reckless immigration policies here.