Truth

The Instagram Reel at that link (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSA7mTuFfoT/) is posted by the account **@libsoftiktokofficial** (Libs of TikTok Official).

It makes the following claim in the caption:

> "1,700 criminal illegals were RELEASED from prison in Illinois under JB Pritzker  

> M*rderers, p*dophiles, r*pes, and violent offenders are back in YOUR communities because Democrats want to protect them from ICE.  

> They are putting American lives at risk."

This appears to be a short video or static post (typical of Libs of TikTok content) designed to highlight and criticize Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's policies on immigration enforcement and criminal releases.

The core factual assertion — that **1,700 "criminal illegals" were released from prison in Illinois under Pritzker** — refers to a real policy/event from late 2024/early 2025. Illinois (under its TRUST Act and related policies) does not allow state/local law enforcement to honor most ICE detainers for immigration enforcement purposes unless there's a judicial warrant and specific violent felony criteria. As a result, when certain incarcerated individuals completed their state sentences, they were released rather than transferred to federal immigration custody if ICE issued only an administrative detainer.

Reports from around that period (including statements from ICE and conservative outlets) indicated that hundreds to low-thousands of individuals with criminal convictions (including some serious offenses) were released into communities instead of being taken into ICE custody directly after state incarceration. The "1,700" figure aligns with numbers cited in several ICE-related announcements and Republican critiques of sanctuary-style policies in Illinois during Pritzker's administration.

However, the reel's framing is heavily editorialized:

- Not all were necessarily "murderers, pedophiles, rapists" — the offenses varied widely (from lower-level crimes to violent felonies).

- Releases happened because of state law limiting cooperation with ICE, not a deliberate "Democrats want to protect them" action targeted at those specific offenders.

- Many such individuals were later arrested by ICE or faced deportation proceedings anyway.

In short: **The 1,700 figure is grounded in reality** (stemming from documented non-cooperation with ICE detainers in Illinois), but the reel dramatically amplifies it with charged language to argue Democrats are endangering the public by prioritizing immigrant protections over enforcement. It's partisan commentary rather than neutral reporting.

Henry McClure  
785.383.9994
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