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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pursuing the extradition of a Mexican national who allegedly stabbed a 24-year-old woman to death in her Illinois apartment, and she is also taking aim at Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker as a result.
The suspect, Gabriel P. Calixto, is charged with first-degree murder and domestic battery for allegedly killing Emma Shafer in Springfield, Illinois, in July 2023. Calixto was in the U.S. illegally when the crime was committed, and he was captured by Mexican law enforcement on Thursday.
“The vicious illegal alien murderer who has been evading justice for two years after stabbing 24-year-old Emma Shafer has been ARRESTED. We will continue to work with federal authorities to coordinate extradition proceedings,” Noem said in a statement. “THANK YOU to our law enforcement partners for bringing this perpetrator to justice.”
DHS REVEALS ILLEGAL MIGRANTS CONVICTED OF CHILD MOLESTATION, RAPE ARRESTED IN DC UNDER TRUMP CRIME CRACKDOWN
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pursuing an extradition against the killer of 24-year-old Emma Shafer, who was stabbed to death in July 2023 in Illinois. (Getty Images/Department of Homeland Security)
The announcement comes as the Trump administration is considering a crime crackdown in Chicago, which could lead to a possible surge in National Guard troops and ICE agents conducting operations.
“I am calling upon Governor Pritzker, and other leaders in the state of Illinois, to abandon these dangerous sanctuary policies,” Noem added. “We need to return to law and order and put the safety of Americans first.”
Noem held a press conference in Springfield in May to criticize the state’s immigration policies.
DHS SAYS NOEM IS TEMPORARILY STAYING IN MILITARY HOUSING AFTER FACING ‘VICIOUS DOXXING,’ DEATH THREATS
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, center, speaks, flanked by Mayor Brandon Johnson, right. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Pritzker is specifically opposing the possible deployment of the National Guard, which is underway in Washington, D.C., to serve as a deterrent to crime. The Democrat said it is “un-American” to send troops into the city at a press conference on Friday.
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“A U.S. president invading a city with troops. It is un-American. We always need help with crime, but not troops,” he said.
The Washington, D.C., crime crackdown has resulted in hundreds of immigration arrests on its own, including alleged gang members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13. Many Democrats have opposed the troop deployment, but there have been degrees of nuance in the criticism, and even praise for the takeover in the capital city. The takeover has ranged from federal oversight of the police force to other federal agencies patrolling the streets.
NOEM, IN ILLINOIS, CALLS OUT GOV. PRITZKER, CHICAGO’S MAYOR OVER THEIR HANDLING OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Gabriel P. Calixto, who was charged in the July 2023 murder of Emma Shafer, was arrested by Mexican authorities on Aug. 28, 2025. (Department of Homeland Security)
“This is what we think in just a couple of weeks of experience has worked,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday, saying it’s helped with the seizure of illegal guns.
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“We think that there is more accountability in the system, or at least perceived accountability in the system, that is driving down illegal behavior. We know that we have had fewer gun crimes, fewer homicides, and we have experienced an extreme reduction in carjackings,” Bowser continued.
Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office.
