Chicago City Wire

Ted Dabrowski, a gubernatorial candidate for the State of Illinois, has called on state and city leaders to cease undermining federal immigration enforcement and to restore the rule of law as a means to prevent further violence. This statement was issued in a press release.

"Luck alone saved us from loss of life on Saturday," said Dabrowski. "Their relentless attacks on all federal immigration enforcement using the most extreme language available have poisoned the culture and tossed the rule of law to the wind, endangering protesters and law enforcement alike. Only enforcement of the rule of federal immigration law will undo the calamity that resulted from an open border. As your governor, I will work with federal authorities to remove criminal illegal migrants from our streets."

The recent confrontation involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protesters, referenced by Dabrowski, took place outside the Broadview, Illinois processing center. According to Capitol News Illinois, six activists were federally indicted after video footage showed them blocking and striking an ICE van. The charges included assault and conspiracy. Officials from Broadview and Illinois condemned both the safety risks posed by the protestors and the federal escalation that followed. The incident occurred between late September and October 2025, with additional arrests made during related demonstrations.

Assaults and threats against federal immigration personnel have significantly increased. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that assaults on ICE officers rose by 830% from January to July 2025 compared to the previous year, while death threats surged more than 8,000%. These figures highlight growing volatility surrounding immigration protests. Homeland Security Today summarized DHS data indicating over 500 assaults on DHS law-enforcement personnel in fiscal year 2023, reflecting a broader national trend.

While Illinois does not publish weapon-offense data by citizenship, a study by Loyola University Chicago found that firearm-possession sentences increased by 57% from 2019 to 2023, suggesting statewide enforcement tightening regardless of immigration status. Research cited by the Cato Institute indicates that national data from 2010 to 2023 show undocumented immigrants have lower incarceration rates than U.S.-born citizens, suggesting no elevated weapons-crime pattern among noncitizens compared with the general population.

Dabrowski is a Republican candidate for governor of Illinois in 2026 and serves as president of Wirepoints. He previously worked as vice president of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute and had a 16-year finance career with Citibank in Mexico and Poland. According to WTTW News, he advocates repealing the TRUST Act, ending sanctuary policies, and directing law enforcement to cooperate more fully with ICE regarding noncitizens with criminal records.