South Cook News

Illinois State House District 30 candidate Patricia Bonk highlighted a violent incident involving Venezuelan migrants, stating, "Biden and Pritzker laid out the Welcome mat for these Illegal immigrants." She made this statement in a July 2 Facebook post.

"Biden and Pritzker laid out the Welcome mat for these illegal immigrants," said Bonk, according to Facebook. "They had previously been charged with shoplifting. Now charged with attempted murder. Venezuela refused to take them back."

In her Facebook post, Bonk shared a link to a Fox News article published on July 2. The article focuses on video footage of an incident between two migrants and a Chicago man on a commuter train in February. According to Fox News, the video from the Chicago Transit Authority depicts a group of migrants chatting with the man before he was attacked at knifepoint and robbed. One of the suspects allegedly put the victim in a chokehold, and all four individuals were arrested and appeared in court on July 2 for a status-detention hearing. Three were held in custody, while the fourth was released under electronic monitoring.

Screenshot of Patricia Bonk for Illinois July 2 Facebook post | Patricia Bonk's campaign Facebook page

The incident occurred around 4:45 p.m. on February 17, and the suspects were arrested 45 minutes later. Fox News reported that the four men gave state-funded migrant shelters as their addresses. They are scheduled to return to court on August 28 for a discovery hearing.

CWB Chicago reported on the incident on February 22. The report stated that the four migrants had been in the community for as little as a month, and three of them were on pretrial release for retail theft. Passengers on the train realized what happened, notified the Chicago Transit Authorities, and kept the four men on the train until authorities arrived.

According to CWB Chicago, the victim was a 49-year-old from Cicero who was approached by Carlos Carreno-Carreno while on an inbound train. Carreno-Carreno motioned for him to move toward the back of the train car where he was blocked from leaving by Wilker Gutierrez Sierra, who also obstructed other passengers' views. Yonnier Guasamucare-Garcia then allegedly jumped on the victim and put him in a chokehold while Fernando Loyo-Rodriguez rifled through his pockets, taking his phone and approximately $400 from his wallet.

Illinois’ House District 30 includes communities such as Dolton, South Holland, Harvey, Markham, Oak Forest, Midlothian, Homewood, parts of Tinley Park, and Olympia Fields. State Representative Will Davis (D-Homewood) currently represents this district. According to Ballotpedia, Davis has held his role for 20 years and intends to seek another term.

Bonk is a registered nurse who has worked as an emergency responder and firefighter for Lemont and Northwest Homer villages. She currently serves as Trustee in the Midlothian Library Board and actively participates in the Midlothian policing committee. Additionally, Bonk is a cancer survivor who serves as Team Leader for the South Suburban Cancer Walk.