Ted Dabrowski, former president of Wirepoints.org and now a Republican candidate for Illinois governor, joined Chicago’s Morning Answer to discuss the fatal crash in Clark County that killed Coles County Board member Mike Clayton and his wife, allegedly caused by a drunk driver in the country illegally. Dabrowski said the tragedy illustrates the dangers of Illinois’ sanctuary state policies and the failure of leadership under Governor J.B. Pritzker.
“This becomes increasingly clear that Governor Pritzker and those who support sanctuary policies are making a huge mistake for Illinoisans,” Dabrowski said. “We’re seeing more people getting killed, more crime, and growing chaos in our cities and small towns. We need to get rid of sanctuary laws and start enforcing the law again.”
The Clark County Sheriff confirmed that federal immigration authorities had issued a detention order for the suspect, but current Illinois law bars local police from cooperating with ICE. State Senator Chapin Rose called the situation “idiotic,” arguing that Pritzker’s sanctuary policies protect criminals instead of citizens.
Dabrowski said public safety has become one of the top three concerns he hears from voters as he travels across the state, alongside property taxes and a lack of job opportunities. “People want safety,” he said. “Even in smaller cities like Peoria and DeKalb, it’s coming up. They see the chaos and the defiance of the law that’s happening not just among criminals but among politicians too.”
The conversation also turned to concerns about commercial driver’s licenses being issued to undocumented immigrants. Dabrowski referenced recent deadly crashes involving truck drivers in the U.S. who were in the country illegally, including several with fraudulent or improperly obtained CDLs. “Wherever you have lawlessness like this, it starts showing up everywhere,” he said. “We’re talking about people driving massive trucks through our state who may not speak English or understand traffic signs. Illinois is a transportation hub — we should know who’s on our roads.”
He argued Illinois should follow Florida’s lead, where the attorney general has sued California and Washington to stop those states from issuing CDLs to undocumented immigrants. “We should outlaw it here and hold other states accountable too,” Dabrowski said. “Governor Pritzker and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias aren’t doing their jobs. Someone has to clean up this mess.”
Dabrowski called for stronger enforcement, cooperation with federal authorities, and an end to Illinois’ sanctuary designations for both cities and the state. “It’s common sense,” he said. “Change the leadership, and you change the policy. We can make Illinois safe again — but it starts with new leadership.”