roken Borders Meet Law and Order as ICE Steps In After Chicago Chaos
For nearly two years, Venezuelan national Josue Vargas Rodriguez treated the streets of Chicago like a revolving door of crime and release. After illegally crossing the U.S. southern border in October 2023, Rodriguez amassed an astonishing 16 arrests, ranging from attempted robbery to felony drug charges—all while remaining free to roam the city, thanks to the lax immigration enforcement policies under Joe Biden.
But that revolving door has finally slammed shut.
Following his most recent string of arrests in April 2025, Rodriguez has now been taken into ICE custody under President Trump’s renewed zero-tolerance approach to illegal alien criminal activity.
16 Arrests. No Deportation. Until Now.
Rodriguez’s rap sheet reads like a parody of sanctuary city dysfunction. He was:
-
Arrested 13 times before February 2025, culminating in a guilty plea for attempting to rob a woman in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood.
-
Warned by a Cook County judge that any further offenses could result in deportation.
-
Promptly arrested again on February 27 for assault, just three weeks after his guilty plea.
-
Then again on April 4 for a felony drug charge.
-
And again on April 7 for turnstile jumping at a CTA station.
All of this occurred in a city that has spent years undermining federal immigration enforcement with sanctuary policies, allowing criminals like Rodriguez to skate through the justice system with little fear of consequence.
Trump’s Laken Riley Act: Now the Law
Rodriguez’s final arrest came after President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act—a landmark bill mandating federal detention of illegal aliens arrested for serious crimes like assault, burglary, and other acts causing bodily harm.
The Act was named for Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant previously arrested and released multiple times. Her tragic death became a rallying cry for immigration enforcement reform.
The timing couldn’t be more fitting. Just days after the Laken Riley Act became law, Rodriguez violated the terms of his probation and re-offended—triggering mandatory ICE detention.
A Pattern of Neglect and a New Era of Accountability
Rodriguez’s story is not unique. It’s emblematic of an immigration system that, under Biden, has operated with zero accountability, allowing known offenders to remain in the country despite posing clear threats to public safety.
Only now, under renewed leadership, are the consequences catching up.
The Trump administration’s enforcement-first approach ensures that violent offenders like Rodriguez no longer slip through the cracks. Sanctuary cities may still try to shield them, but federal law is catching up—and fast.
Conclusion: Sanctuary No More
Chicago may continue to offer “sanctuary,” but criminals like Josue Vargas Rodriguez are quickly discovering that the days of impunity are over.
Sixteen arrests should never have been necessary. One would’ve been enough under a sane immigration policy.
Now, thanks to the Laken Riley Act and a President who actually enforces the law, Rodriguez is finally facing deportation.
It’s not vengeance. It’s justice. Long overdue.
