Sen. Chesney & Sec. Noem use Emma Schafer's name to advance 'heartless political agenda'

District 45 State Senator Andrew Chesney is bragging about standing with Secretary Noem at the Springfield event Wednesday where Noem exploited the memory of Emma Shafer to score cheap political points, against the wishes of Emma’s mother.

WCIA has excellent coverage of the story here: Emma Shafer's family says Noem used her name to advance 'heartless political agenda'

Here’s a transcript: Announcer: Kristi Noem came to Springfield today to attack Illinois immigration protections, and she used the death of Emma Shafer to help advance that political agenda without her family’s consent. Our capital bureau chief Cole Henke is live outside of the governor’s mansion in Springfield. And Cole, Noem didn’t just stop at mentioning her name.

Henke: That’s right. Instead of going to the Capitol to attack Illinois laws or even the governor’s mansion, which is right behind me here, she instead went to the house where Emma Shafer was killed on the other side of town. Her mother not only didn’t approve of her using her name, she actively protested outside of the governor’s mansion today against Noem’s trip. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was joined by several families who either lost loved ones in crimes involving non citizens or to drug overdoses, but the majority of remarks in Springfield were focused on the story of a person whose family was not there.

Noem: Just a couple of houses away from here, Emma Shafer was brutally stabbed and murdered by an illegal alien.

Henke: Emma Shafer was killed in her home two years ago, right behind where Noem spoke. Her ex-boyfriend Gabriel Calixto is accused of the crime. Her death rocked the capital city. She was a pillar of the activist community organizing for several major causes in town, including immigrant rights. Protesters say she would have been on the front lines opposing Noem’s rhetoric.

Nick Dodson, Emma Shafer’s friend: Would have been the loudest person there. She would have been a person that organized many different people of different backgrounds, ages, beliefs, to all come and support this [protest].

Henke: Not only did her family not give consent to Noem’s office to use their daughter’s story, her mother carried on Emma’s mission the best way she knew how. She joined protesters across town rebuking the rhetoric around immigration from Noem and the Trump administration. In a statement, her mother begged Noem to stop, saying quote, to see her used by Secretary Nome and others to advance a cruel and heartless political agenda is not just deeply painful to us, it is an insult to her memory. This was Noem’s response to my question, if she even tried to get the family’s consent.

Noem: We have been reaching out to them, and weren’t able to get a response to yet, but we have been reaching out to them.

Henke: Were you aware that Emma Shafer’s family is across town at the protest of your appearance?

Noem: No, I wasn’t aware of that. Is that her immediate family?

Reporters: Yes.

Noem: Thank you. [Turns to another reporter] Did you have a question?

Henke: Noem then went on to speculate about Shafer’s case.

Noem: She lost her life to an illegal alien that’s still out at large, um, poss… probably in this state. We can’t confirm that.

Henke: What I did confirm? Springfield Police said Wednesday they have no reason to believe Calixto is even in the country, let alone in Illinois. As for her other claims…

Noem: The local law enforcement and the state law enforcement are barred by state law, with the support of Governor Pritzker, from sharing any information with our ICE officers or HSI officers.

Henke: This is not true. The US Marshals have actively been involved with this case from the get go, and the Trust Act does not prevent local law enforcement from working with the feds on any case involving a criminal warrant. Joining Noem was the Illinois Senate Republican leadership team, including Minority Leader John Curran and Senator Steve McClure, who represents a large part of Sangamon County. Curran said he was not aware of the significance of the location for Noem’s news conference until afterward.

Curran: I would say, highlighting a victim of crime, a murder victim of crime whose life work was centered around the immigrant community, regardless of whether someone was here legally or illegally, was a decision that should not have been made.

Henke: Governor Pritzker issued a scathing statement about Noem’s trip to Springfield as well, saying, quote Trump/ Noem publicity stunts do not make our community safer or our immigration system smarter. Illinois does not need to abuse power or ignore the Constitution to keep our people safe. Like the millions of Americans asking for sensible, humane immigration reform, I encourage the Secretary to spend less time performing for Fox News and more time protecting the homeland.

Disgraceful!