Chambana Sun

Adam Niemerg, State Representative for Illinois' 102nd House District, expressed concerns over state policies that he believes prioritize undocumented immigrants over residents. He said that these policies are endangering public safety and misplacing government priorities. Niemerg made this statement on the social media platform X.

"JB Pritzker is more worried about protecting illegal immigrants than protecting the people he was elected to serve," said Adam M. Niemerg, State Representative from Illinois. "This weekend, an illegal immigrant killed a county board member and his wife in a horrific DUI crash. When you put illegal immigrants ahead of Illinois citizens, this is the result. JB's priorities are upside down, and Illinois families are paying the price."

Illinois has implemented immigration and sanctuary policies such as the TRUST Act and the Illinois Way Forward Act, which limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and restrict local law enforcement's participation in civil immigration enforcement. These measures were reaffirmed by Attorney General Kwame Raoul in 2025 and defended as promoting community trust, according to a report by the Latino Policy Forum.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s 2025 DUI Fact Book reports that there were 1,245 traffic deaths in 2023, including 288 alcohol-related fatalities and 21,245 DUI arrests. However, the state does not track DUI or fatal-crash data by citizenship or immigration status. This means no verified statewide figures exist for undocumented or noncitizen drivers, according to the Secretary of State.

A Cato Institute analysis of data from 2010 to 2019 found no statistically significant link between a state's share of undocumented immigrants and its drunk-driving death rate. Additionally, a study conducted by the Center for Growth and Opportunity in 2025 found that states allowing undocumented residents to obtain licenses experienced a reduction of 20–50% in fatal hit-and-run crashes.

Niemerg is a Republican representative first elected in 2020 for Illinois' 102nd District. His biography indicates he previously worked as a senior claims adjuster for COUNTRY Financial and holds a history degree from Eastern Illinois University. His legislative focus includes reducing taxes, limiting government intervention, and opposing sanctuary-related policies.