North Cook News

Illinois State Senator Chapin Rose has urged Governor J.B. Pritzker to prioritize the safety of Illinois residents amid concerns about DUI-related deaths involving undocumented immigrants. This statement was issued in a press release.

"The Claytons are, at least, the 5th and 6th DUI related death (sic) in east central Illinois by an illegal in as many years," said Thomas Chapin Rose, State Senator for Illinois. "How many more have to die before Governor Pritzker stops worrying about being President and starts standing up for the actual citizens of Illinois?"

In east central Illinois, impaired driving remains a significant concern. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), alcohol was involved in an estimated 47% of vehicular fatalities statewide. Efforts since 2020 have included targeted enforcement campaigns, expanded public education efforts, and local inter-agency coordination in rural counties to reduce driving deaths.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that Illinois recorded 1,245 motor-vehicle crash deaths in 2023, with alcohol involvement in fatal crashes standing at about 21% that year. Meanwhile, the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission indicated eight impaired-driving-related fatalities in the rural portion of Champaign–Urbana during the most recent rolling five-year window for which data were published.

A verified case in Illinois involved undocumented immigrants in a fatal DUI crash. On October 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported that a Honduran national and his Guatemalan passenger—both undocumented—were charged after a DUI crash that killed a local county board member and his wife in Coles County. Legal outcomes remain pending judicial resolution.

Rose has represented Illinois’s 51st Senate District since January 2013, after serving in the Illinois House from 2003 to 2013. He holds a B.S. and a J.D. from the University of Illinois and currently serves as the Republican ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, with additional roles on the Judiciary, Insurance, and Transportation committees. He has emphasized rural economic and public-safety policies.