Crespo, Black talk SAFE-T Act, Illinois sanctuary policies in race for 44th House seat
Law enforcement issues like the SAFE-T Act and Illinois’ sanctuary immigration policies are among the topics on which the candidates for Illinois’ 44th District House seat disagree.
Democratic incumbent Rep. Fred Crespo of Hoffman Estates is seeking his 11th term. Republican challenger Ralph Black of Hanover Park has worked in quality management for more than 18 years and served on his hometown’s special events committee.
The 44th District includes parts of Bartlett, Elgin, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg and Streamwood.
Black considers the elimination of cash bail under the SAFE-T Act three years ago a failure. He suggests reinstating high cash bail for violent crimes while gradually increasing initially low amounts for repeat misdemeanor offenders.
“Creating a blanket law without thinking it through seems to be the M.O. lately,” Black wrote in response to a Daily Herald questionnaire.
Black said he understands the problem of low-income defendants having to wait in jail for years to stand trial, “But letting violent criminals out without bail is an accident waiting to happen, and eventually it happens because there is no recourse.”
Crespo said the electronic monitoring aspect of the SAFE-T Act is his target for reform. He cited Cook County records showing that 79 people accused of murder or attempted murder and 154 people charged with sexual assault are on electronic monitoring.
“My position is clear: individuals charged with violent crimes should not be eligible for electronic monitoring when public safety is at risk,” Crespo wrote in response to the questionnaire. “The governor has expressed a willingness to consider changes, but the legislative caucus must also be willing to listen to law enforcement and seriously address their concerns.”
Black is deeply critical of Illinois’ immigration sanctuary policies that have made the state a target of the Trump administration. Services provided to people in the country unlawfully are an insult to state taxpayers and those who worked hard to move to the U.S. legally.
“I would remove those policies as quickly as possible,” Black wrote. “Somebody thought it was a great idea to let as many people across our border as possible for reasons all of us could speculate on, but it has done nothing but injure American citizens physically and financially. If you want to see what open borders does just look at Paris and Europe now.”
The system should be able to assist immigrants who have been in the U.S. for many years and have worked, started families and paid into Social Security, Black said.
Crespo said both the Biden administration’s border policies and the Trump administration’s enforcement practices have contributed to a broken federal immigration system. He noted that he and his attorney daughter helped secure the release of some young people without criminal records who were caught in the middle of the immigration enforcement campaign last year.
“At the same time, we absolutely need effective policies to identify, apprehend, and hold accountable individuals who are in the country illegally and commit violent crimes,” Crespo wrote. “Protecting our communities must be a priority. Immigration enforcement should focus on legitimate public-safety threats and be carried out lawfully, based on evidence and individual conduct ― not a person’s appearance, accent or the language they speak.”
Crespo added that state and local officials must work closely with their federal counterparts on meaningful reforms to secure borders, enforce the law fairly, protect civil rights and strengthen public safety.
epeterson@dailyherald.com