Two new YouTube videos tell the stories of victims recently killed here in Illinois by illegal immigrants who later fled the country and point an accusatory finger at Gov. Bruce Rauner for signing the “Trust Act” into law, which allowed Illinois to become a sanctuary state.
In a "Fighting for Jeannie Brady" video, husband Erik Brady painfully shares how his wife was killed coming home from work by a man driving drunk and going the wrong way on a divided portion of Interstate 74 in Champaign.
“The man was never taken into custody and is on the run now, and I have no idea where,” a still visibly shaken Brady said. “It is a tragedy there was no justice for her. Champaign County thought it was best to let that man go. They gave me a runaround.”
At the time of the Jan. 1, 2017 accident, Brady said Urbana had only recently become a sanctuary city and they didn’t want to make a lot of noise.
“Disappointment is not even close,” Brady said of the way he feels. “Anger is closer. Several of us who have been victims of crimes like this reached out to the governor to share our story and he ignored us. That’s what makes it so hard. The people that we trust fell through. I don’t see a place for Gov. Rauner in the leadership of this state at all.”
Brian McCann shares Erik Brady’s opinion and his pain.
On June 6, 2011, his brother, William “Dennis” McCann, was crossing Kedzie Avenue in Chicago's Logan Square when he was allegedly struck by illegal immigrant Saul Chavez, who was thought to be under the influence at the time.
“My brother died a violent death,” he said in the "Honoring Dennis McCann" video. “Little did we know at the time, Cook County was deliberating with (Cook County board) President Toni Preckwinkle to craft an ordinance that would have prohibited the county from cooperating with immigration and customs officials. His brother brought in $25,000 cash, and they bonded out and absconded to Mexico. I’m pretty convinced we’ll never bring my brothers killer to justice.”
McCann said the even bigger tragedy is the way so many families are still left to pick up the pieces of their lives after being forced to deal with a tragedy perpetrated on them by someone who is in the country illegally.
“Thousands and thousands of people have been victims of murders and all manner of felons because of illegal criminals in this country,” he said. “Sanctuary cities protect. Gov. Rauner should not remain in office. Jeanne Ives would serve the 11 million residents of Illinois much better than Gov. Rauner. She is set against sanctuary state policies and I support her.”
The 52-year-old Ives, who now serves as a Republican state representative from Wheaton, is running against Rauner in the GOP primary with voters set to go to the polls on March 20.
Alerts Sign-up