NW Illinois News

Senator Andrew Chesney recently traveled to Washington, D.C., joining a group of conservative Illinois lawmakers to witness Governor J.B. Pritzker's testimony regarding Illinois' sanctuary state policies. Chesney criticized the governor's approach, stating that Pritzker has limited cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and created taxpayer-funded initiatives for undocumented immigrants.

Chesney highlighted legislation signed by Pritzker in 2021 that canceled ICE detention contracts and empowered the Attorney General to penalize police departments assisting federal immigration officials. According to Chesney, these actions have cost taxpayers billions while residents face inflation and public safety concerns.

In another development, former House Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced to 7½ years in prison and fined $2.5 million for political corruption charges, including racketeering and bribery. Despite Madigan's conviction, no ethics reforms targeting the General Assembly have been passed since his indictment.

Senator Chesney also celebrated a successful pet food donation drive co-hosted with the Northwest Illinois Alliance of Realtors, benefiting the Friends Forever Humane Society in Freeport. The drive collected over 342 pounds of dry food and 183 cans of additional food.

Chesney and State Representative John Cabello called on Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara to cooperate with ICE rather than maintain a "welcoming city" stance that excludes local agencies from immigration enforcement activities.

Additionally, Senator Chesney announced two free document shredding events scheduled for June 21 in Rockton and Roscoe, as well as an IPASS on Demand event on June 24 in Genoa.