U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a stark warning concerning the actions of Illinois officials, who have reportedly been releasing violent criminal illegal immigrants despite the presence of active immigration detainers. ICE has expressed grave concerns, asserting that such decisions are endangering public safety.

Todd Lyons, ICE’s senior official currently overseeing directorial duties, conveyed these concerns in a letter, which was shared with Fox News Digital. Lyons pointed out that Illinois is currently holding “tens of thousands of criminal illegal aliens” who have been involved in serious offenses, including murder, rape, child pornography, and armed robbery.

Lyons emphasized that these individuals should be removed from the United States promptly, rather than being allowed to re-enter society where they could potentially harm law-abiding citizens.

ICE has spotlighted several cases where Illinois authorities did not uphold immigration detainers, resulting in the release of offenders who were subsequently apprehended or deported by ICE. Among these individuals were Alfonso Batalla Garcia, convicted of attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault; Leonardo Ignot-Osto, a repeat offender in illegal entry and child abduction; and Amilcar Waldo Gonzalez-Jimenez, with convictions including DUI and criminal sexual assault. Others included Victor Manuel Mendoza-Garcia, Juan Morales Martinez, Jaime Mandujano-Nunez, Jose Manuel Fuentes-Vargas, Juan Alberto Caro Marin, and Guillermo Garcia-Porcayo, all involved in serious crimes ranging from kidnapping to attempted murder.

ICE’s data indicates that since January 2025, Illinois has released 1,768 criminal aliens who were subject to active detainers. The offenses associated with these individuals cover a broad spectrum of serious crimes, such as homicides, assaults, burglaries, weapons violations, and sexually predatory behavior.

ICE badge on an officer’s uniform; the agency says Illinois is freeing offenders with active detainers, putting public safety at risk. (REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez)

The agency also said another 4,015 criminal aliens with pending detainers remain in state or local custody, including individuals linked to 51 homicides and more than 800 sexual-predatory offenses.

ICE provided a list of some of the detainers that were not honored, requiring federal officers to track down offenders after their release.

They include Victor Manuel Mendoza-Garcia, convicted of three counts of aggravated kidnapping; Juan Morales Martinez, tied to a fatal vehicle crash; and Amilcar Waldo Gonzalez-Jimenez, convicted of two counts of criminal sexual assault. In each case, ICE says local agencies failed to notify the agency before releasing the individuals.

Some of the other cases cited by ICE involve offenders convicted of child abduction, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, attempted murder and aggravated kidnapping.

The Illinois General Assembly. (iStock)

Some of the offenders were later re-arrested or removed from the United States by ICE, according to the documents.

Lyons cautioned that Illinois’ ongoing refusal to honor immigration detainers “plainly jeopardizes public safety” and asked if the state intends to change course or continue releasing violent offenders who may otherwise “walk the streets of Illinois again.”