Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Killing Illinois County Official, Wife In Drunk Driving Crash

An illegal immigrant is accused of killing a county official and his wife while driving drunk on an Illinois road, The Daily Wire has learned.

Honduran illegal immigrant Edwin Pacheco-Meza, 34, was swiftly arrested by local cops after allegedly killing Coles County board member Michael Clayton, 71, and his wife, Gail, 66, in a drunk driving crash on Friday. Pacheco-Meza snuck across the border illegally at an unknown date, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire.

The couple was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pacheco-Meza was charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI. Local authorities also found an extended magazine, ammunition, and marijuana in his van.

Illinois state Rep. Adam Niemerg blamed the “failed leadership” of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker for the fatal crash in a recent X post.

“Gov. Pritzker’s reckless policies keep putting Illinois families at risk. Instead of protecting citizens, Democrats continue to protect those here illegally — and our communities are paying the price,” Niemerg wrote.

Guatemalan illegal immigrant Juan Morales-Martinez, 18, was a passenger in Pacheco-Meza’s truck during the fatal collision. He was also arrested by local police.

While ICE quickly lodged a detainer to ensure Morales-Martinez wasn’t released onto the streets, the local jail still let him walk free on Monday, according to DHS. Luckily, ICE officers were waiting outside and scooped him up.

Morales-Martinez crossed the border illegally in December 2023 and was released into the United States shortly thereafter, DHS said.

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Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire that the illegal immigrant pair “should’ve never been in our country in the first place.”

“President Trump and Secretary Noem have unleashed ICE and CBP in Illinois to restore law-and-order and remove criminal illegal aliens from our communities,” McLaughlin said.

“Anyone who is in the U.S. illegally and thinks they can roam free while breaking our laws and harming Americans is in for a rude awakening. If you are in our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you, arrest you, remove you, and you will never return,” she added.

The Trump administration commenced “Operation Midway Blitz” in September to flood Illinois with immigration officers. The raids have resulted in roughly 3,000 arrests, Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino told ABC News on Monday.