Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pushing for the extradition of a Mexican national accused of fatally stabbing a 24-year-old woman in her Illinois apartment. At the same time, she is publicly criticizing Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker over the state’s immigration policies.
The suspect, Gabriel P. Calixto, faces charges of first-degree murder and domestic battery in the killing of Emma Shafer in Springfield, Illinois, in July 2023. Calixto, who was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the crime, was apprehended by Mexican authorities 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.”
The announcement comes as the Trump administration considers a crime crackdown in Chicago, potentially involving a surge of National Guard troops and ICE agents.
“I am calling upon Governor Pritzker, and other leaders in the state of Illinois, to abandon these dangerous sanctuary policies,” Noem said. “We need to return to law and order and put the safety of Americans first.”
Noem previously held a press conference in Springfield in May to criticize the state’s immigration policies.
Pritzker has opposed the potential deployment of the National Guard, currently underway in Washington, D.C., as a crime deterrent. He called sending troops into the city “un-American” during a press briefing Friday.
“A U.S. president invading a city with troops. It is un-American. We always need help with crime, but not troops,” Pritzker said.
The D.C. operation has led to hundreds of immigration arrests, including alleged members of gangs Tren de Aragua and MS-13. While many Democrats have criticized the troop deployment, others have praised elements of the federal oversight and enforcement in the capital.
Gabriel P. Calixto, charged in the July 2023 murder of Emma Shafer, was arrested by Mexican authorities on Aug. 28, 2025.
“This is what we think in just a couple of weeks of experience has worked,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday, highlighting a decrease in illegal guns.
“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.”
