SPRINGFIELD – In response to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s recent visit to Illinois, State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“As someone who has spent my entire career fighting for immigrant rights, I will not stay silent while this administration continues to demonize our communities and blame states like Illinois for a crisis they created.

“This visit isn’t about finding real solutions—it’s a political stunt meant to distract from a broken federal system and years of failure to deliver meaningful immigration reform.

“Illinois is a welcoming state. We believe in protecting families, honoring human rights and treating people – no matter where they come from – with respect and compassion. We will not allow our values to be undermined by fearmongering or misinformation.

“Let me be clear: we’re not backing down. We’re going to keep fighting for a system that sees immigrants as people, not problems – and we’re going to do it together, with and for the communities who’ve always been the backbone of this state.”