Keeping ICE impact in perspective

According to the Sunday, March 1, Daily Herald, “4,000 people were arrested by ICE agents in the State of Illinois. Less than 2% had homicide or assault convictions.” Using those facts, let's draw some conclusions. If around 2% of the arrests were of murderers and assaulters, that's around 80 in Illinois alone. I repeat, 80 murders and assaulters, that have been convicted in a court of law, are off the streets. If that doesn't make our state safer, I don't know what does. Why were these people allowed to walk the streets in Illinois if they are convicted of these crimes and illegal?

It's tragic what happened in Minnesota with the loss of two lives. But let's put that in perspective. Eighty convicted criminals are off the streets in Illinois. How many were removed from Minnesota, California, Washington, D.C., Oregon, North Carolina and so on. Why aren't we supplied with figures showing the total number of convicted felons removed from all these arrests?

Day after day, we are bombarded with the tragedy of the loss of two lives in Minnesota, but nothing is said about the total lives lost by all the convicted murderers being deported.

Instead of condemning and deploring the activities of ICE, we should be honoring their presence. They are doing what should have been done for years. In addition to the numbers stated above, how may gang members and drug dealers have been removed from our country? How about some reporting that gives the positive side of what ICE is doing instead of only dwelling on the negatives?

It's time cities like Chicago and Minneapolis dropped their “sanctuary city” designation and started cooperating with ICE. Maybe the tragedy of what happened in Minnesota could have been avoided and our country would be safer for all citizens. Stop protecting the illegals and start protecting legal citizens.

Dan Valosek

Downers Grove