* Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski…

I stand with Angel Parent Joe Abraham and he stands with me because we both believe federal authorities must remove from our streets illegal immigrants who pose a threat to public safety. Joe’s daughter Katie was killed by an illegal immigrant in Urbana one year ago.

We also both believe the families victimized by illegal immigrants protected by sanctuary-supporting politicians like Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson deserve justice.

While there is, of course, a legitimate First Amendment right for people to protest policies with which they disagree, there is no right to interfere with lawful law enforcement operations. Ever.

I find it interesting that the protesters on the streets of Chicago, along with Pritzker and Johnson, who otherwise oppose individual gun rights, have no problem with someone tracking federal officers in Minnesota for the purpose of impeding their enforcement operations while armed with a handgun.

I also find it interesting that Democrats conveniently call for more civility in our politics when it suits them, but remain quiet when their allies demonize ICE and other authorities, falsely suggest that we are in a civil war, falsely claim there is a federal occupation of their community, falsely accuse officers of “disappearing people” and call for the unilateral, indiscriminate arrest of ICE officers and defunding of the agency.

The hypocrisy of Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson runs deep. They engage in violent, incendiary rhetoric – calling federal officers “authoritarians”, “fascists” and “jack-booted thugs” – and then feign outrage when violence spurred on by their words inevitably erupts.

The unnecessary loss of life is always and everywhere a tragedy. The way to avert such tragedies with respect to federal law enforcement is to make your views known peacefully without crossing the line into illegally impeding their operations or resisting a lawful command when directed to stand down.

It is no coincidence that the places where most violence has occurred are in sanctuary states and cities that continue to prioritize criminal illegals over their own citizens.

Illinois should join the vast majority of states in this country that reject chaos-creating sanctuary policies.

The peaceful and orderly transfer of criminal illegals directly to federal authorities – rather than releasing them back onto our streets and forcing federal officers to track them down – should be Illinois’ policy going forward.

As governor, I will do all I can to prevent violence and to restore the law and order Illinoisans deserve. I will work responsibly with federal authorities to remove criminal illegal immigrants who pose a threat to public safety.

* Democratic Party of Illinois…

After failing to respond to questions about Donald Trump’s federal agent killing a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis, Ted Dabrowski – who last year questioned whether Trump’s use of federal force was constitutional – refused to condemn the death of Alex Pretti. Dabrowski instead issued a rambling statement attacking Democrats and criticizing protesters.

In response, the Democratic Party of Illinois released the following statement:

“Last year, Ted Dabrowski said Donald Trump’s deployment of federal personnel ‘may not be constitutional.’ Now, after Trump’s continued federal overreach killed another person, he’s trying to walk back those statements in an effort to boost his flatlining polling and deflect from questions about where he truly stands. Using this tragic killing to score political points and deceive voters is outrageous.”

Dabrowski failed to clarify whether he still stands by his earlier concerns about Trump’s federal actions or if he has abandoned them for political expediency. With his polling numbers slipping and divisions within his party growing, Dabrowski owes Illinois voters a clear answer. Instead, he’s choosing political self-preservation over principle.