Republican candidate clarifies comment about immigrants’ rights
A Republican congressional candidate who in social media posts Sunday said immigrants in the U.S. illegally “do not have constitutional rights” has clarified the remark.
Glen Ellyn’s Niki Conforti on Monday said she made the statement in the context of voting rights, which was the focus of her posts on X — the platform formerly called Twitter — and Facebook.
While certain rights, such as the right to vote, are reserved for U.S. citizens, others apply to anyone physically in the U.S., the Supreme Court has ruled.
They include the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government; the Fifth Amendment’s right against self-incrimination; and the Eighth Amendment’s protections against excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.
When asked via email to explain her stance, Conforti — the lone GOP hopeful for the 6th District seat now held by Downers Grove Democrat Sean Casten — acknowledged the Constitution affords anyone in the U.S. some rights.
“But they are to a much lesser degree than those granted to U.S. citizens and are mostly in regard to due process,” Conforti said. Those rights “certainly do not include voting in elections,” she added.
While Casten couldn’t be reached for comment Monday, DuPage County Democratic Party Chair Reid McCollum called Conforti’s original statement “shocking.”
“These protections exist for all persons, because they are what separate the United States from autocracies,” McCollum said in a news release. “Without them, there is no check on a government that persecutes its enemies and disappears those who speak out against it.”
In her social media posts Sunday, Conforti accused immigrants living here illegally of voting and “subverting the voice of American citizens.”
Noncitizen voting is rare, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. Data from the conservative Heritage Foundation indicates election fraud of any type is uncommon.
The 6th District includes parts of DuPage and Cook counties.
Ex-lawmaker to headline GOP event
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan will headline the 18th annual Northwest Suburban Republican Lincoln Day Dinner next month.
The gathering is set for 6 p.m. Oct. 20, at Cotillion Banquets, 360 S. Creekside Drive, Palatine.
Rogers served in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015 and led the House Intelligence Committee for four of those years. He’s running for U.S. Senate in 2026, two years after losing the race for Michigan’s other Senate seat.
Before entering Michigan politics, Rogers was a special agent for the FBI in its Chicago office.
Dinner tickets are $140 each and include entry to a reception with a cash bar. Tickets to a VIP reception Rogers will attend are $240.
Proceeds will benefit several Republican organizations in the Chicago area, including those in Barrington, Elk Grove, Northfield, Palatine, Schaumburg and Wheeling townships.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit northfieldgop.org/2025_lincoln_day_dinner.
• Political Roundabout is an occasional column on campaign, legislative and political news with a suburban focus.