Prairie State Wire

Mike Howell, leader of the Heritage Foundation's investigative unit, criticized Democrat Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth for opposing the deportation of criminal illegal aliens in their state. Howell expressed his views during a January 27 interview with the Prairie State Wire.

"The radical left went apoplectic over the prospect of American law being enforced against illegal aliens. Seeing the transparent push for immigration compliance has left many of them with egg on their face," said Howell, Executive Director for the Oversight Project. "Senators Durbin and Duckworth look especially foolish as they overextended themselves to criticize Tom Homan when he turned around and arrested a sex criminal illegal for all to see. Being on the side of sex criminals is not a politically wise place to be but it is where Durbin and Duckworth are now."

Howell's remarks were prompted by recent arrests conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Chicago. The operation targeted criminal illegal aliens, including convicted murderers, members of the Tren de Aragua gang, and a child sex predator. These individuals had previously been allowed to remain free by Senators Durbin and Duckworth, as well as Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor J.B. Pritzker.

According to Fox News, Tom Homan, who served as "border czar" under President Donald J. Trump, visited Chicago on Sunday to participate in these arrest operations alongside agents from ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

On Sunday night, Durbin and Duckworth issued a joint statement opposing the arrests and pledging to assist illegal alien criminals who they believe were "improperly caught up" in them, according to ABC 7 News.

Durbin has long supported preventing local police from aiding immigration officials in deporting criminal illegal aliens. During Trump's first term, he argued that "(illegal aliens) are not driving violence in Chicago" and opposed efforts by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to secure city cooperation for deportations, as reported by CBS News.

Last month, Durbin held a committee hearing in Washington D.C., where he opposed deportations of illegal alien criminals unless they had been "found guilty of a serious crime," according to a press release.

Mike Howell is the Executive Director of the Oversight Project at The Heritage Foundation since 2022. His work focuses on investigations and legal actions related to progressive policies. Previously, Howell served as a key legal advisor at the Department of Homeland Security and worked on Capitol Hill specializing in national security, immigration, and border security. He holds degrees from Duke University and Emory Law School.