Dear Neighbors,
I hope this message finds you well. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact my office by calling (847) 413-1959, emailing me at [email protected], or sending a message through my website at https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/contact/email. For more frequent updates, I encourage you to follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.
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On Saturday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted an operation in Elgin that resulted in “chemical irritants,” or tear gas, being dispersed against members of our community while trying to detain a man on Maple Lane. At least seven people, including a young child, had to be treated by Elgin police and firefighters following their exposure to the tear gas. According to local reports, federal agents deployed tear gas in a residential neighborhood following a vehicle crash connected to the operation, and eyewitness reports from community members who were there reported seeing ICE “drag people to the ground” and “spray people in the face.”
Let me be clear: I am outraged. Spraying tear gas and throwing smoke bombs in a residential neighborhood is unacceptable, dangerous, and indefensible. I’ve demanded that ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) explain how this operation was carried out, why chemical irritants were used, and what accountability will follow.
On Wednesday, I wrote to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons about the incident in Elgin, demanding answers, noting that, unfortunately, this botched operation is not the first time ICE agents have put Illinoisans in danger with chemical irritants. Over the past several months, ICE agents have deployed similar tactics and irritants in Old Irving Park and Albany Park, as well as near Funston Elementary School.
In addition, in the past month, I have written to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem three separate times – once about plans to use private “bounty hunters” to track down immigrants and another about ICE’s vetting practices for new agents. Last week, I wrote to Secretary Noem about reports that detention facilities are failing to provide detainees with Privacy Release Form 60-001, the required form that allows Members of Congress to obtain case information and perform oversight. Without access to this form, detainees cannot authorize congressional inquiries, and ICE can effectively block lawful oversight.
I’ve urged DHS to immediately correct these failures, ensure detainees can obtain and submit the required form, and issue clear guidance to all field offices. Whether in our neighborhoods or inside detention facilities, ICE must operate safely, transparently, and within the law. I will continue pushing for accountability and reforms to protect our communities and uphold the rights of those in ICE custody.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi during his opening statement where he describes how 11 Illinois hospitals are at risk of cuts due to the Republican-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (Click the image above to watch the full video.)
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On Wednesday, I once again urged the House to act to lower health care costs for Illinoisans and all Americans. During an Oversight Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing, I called out the House’s failure to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year and are the most immediate health care threat facing Illinois families. If we do not act, half a million Illinoisans will see premiums rise from $260 to $464 a month on average, with rural families facing increases of more than 100 percent. These costs will push families and hospitals toward a preventable crisis. Earlier this year, I traveled to visit Loretto Hospital in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood and Franklin Hospital in Benton, where providers warned me that Republican cuts in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” or Large Lousy Law, would force program closures, staff reductions, and fewer essential services. Eleven Illinois hospitals are already at risk of shutting down, and these cuts would accelerate that trend.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi shares how Krystle is facing impossible choices to afford health care for herself and children due to Republicans’ failure to extend ACA tax credits. (Click the image above to watch the congressman’s full question line.)
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I also shared the story of Krystle, a mother in central Illinois raising three children with complex medical needs. Thanks to enhanced ACA tax credits, she can insure her kids today for about $800 a month. If those credits expire, her premiums will almost double to $1,400 — a cost she simply cannot absorb. Millions of families nationwide are facing that same impossible situation. Finally, I also raised concerns about unregulated AI tools in health care, especially for young people. One in eight adolescents is using AI chatbots for mental health advice, and some bots have even provided information related to self-harm. Illinois and many other states have adopted strong safeguards, yet the White House is now pursuing a national policy that would override these protections. Witness Dr. Ziad Obermeyer confirmed that such preemption has no basis in his testimony. My focus now is ensuring that Congress takes the steps needed to protect Illinois families: extending the ACA tax credits, stopping harmful cuts that would close hospitals, and defending state efforts to create responsible guardrails for emerging technologies. These are solvable challenges, and I will continue pushing for the bipartisan action our communities deserve.
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Congressman Krishnamoorthi discusses the aftermath of the Signal-Gate inspector general report on Secretary Hegseth and recent strikes on boats in the Caribbean. (Click the image above to watch the full interview.)
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This week, I continued my calls for Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to either resign or be removed following the release of an Inspector General report detailing his mishandling of a classified operation. Earlier this year, Secretary Hegseth revealed classified information about an American military operation on Signal, an unsecure messaging app, in a group chat that included a journalist. The secretary revealed time-sensitive military details, including how many aircraft were involved and where they would be at certain times. This type of information is normally treated as classified, and any junior service member who handled this information in a similar way would have faced severe consequences. Instead, Secretary Hegseth refused to cooperate with investigators and “declassified” certain details after the fact.
Against that backdrop, this week also brought renewed scrutiny of the September 2nd U.S. military boat strike in the Caribbean, a counter-narcotics operation authorized under Secretary Hegseth’s leadership. An initial strike destroyed an alleged drug-trafficking vessel and resulted in multiple deaths. Those who have viewed the classified video report that some individuals survived the initial strike and were later seen clinging to the wreckage and no longer posing a threat before a second strike was carried out.
The Trump Administration must release the complete footage so the public can assess what occurred. Upholding the rule of law is essential not only for accountability, but to preserve the legal standards that protect American servicemembers from retaliation and increased risk when others disregard the laws of war. Taken together, these events underscore a troubling pattern of judgment and leadership failures at the Pentagon and reinforce the urgent need to restore accountability and professionalism at the Department of Defense.
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The best way to stay up to date on these issues beyond our newsletter is through my social media accounts, which I update multiple times each day. You can follow my Twitter (X) here, my Facebook page here, my Instagram here, my Threads here, and my Bluesky here. Thank you for staying engaged in our community.
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