FAIR Get | April , 2024
On March 28, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE )  , announced , the results of a major immigration enforcement operation conducted March 11 through March 25.  ,  , This operation , exclusively targeted legal aliens convicted of drug smuggling or drug ownership- related offenses involving methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, or chemical drugs. More than half of the targeted suspects ( 216 of 419 ) were successfully apprehended during the operation that took place in major cities across the country. Together, these legal creatures had a combined full of 456 beliefs, including sexual acts.  , Over 100 of the target had been formerly deported from the U. S. and illegally , returned.
In announcing the attack, ICE officers stressed the value of detainees in immigration protection. A , detainer , is a demand made by ICE to local law enforcement authorities, asking them to keep the area in prison until ICE officers may arrest before launch.  , As Acting Director of ICE, Patrick J. Lechleitner, described, using a expunction allows ICE to arrest legal creatures in a controlled environment.  , He , said:” Let me be clear, there are inherent risks to chasing down and arresting potentially dangerous non- citizens in our communities … The fact is, ]when ] we have to arrest someone who is at large in the community, it’s inherently more dangerous. It’s dangerous for our officers, it’s unsafe for the noncitizen who’s running from fairness and it’s harmful for the honest folks in our , areas”.
Lechleitner also referred to how shelter cities and states impede ICE’s ability to carry out the rules. These ,” temple jurisdictions”  , adopt rules that, among other things, prevent local authorities from honoring ICE detainers. That results in judicial foreigners being released onto the streets rather than deported. Lechleitner , lamented,” We generally hope that law enforcement agencies will respect our subpoenas so we can get up potentially harmful non- citizens , before , they’re released into our neighborhoods. And to be honest, some jurisdictions have laws that affect how well state and local law enforcement can work with ICE.  , So we’re trying to make progress in areas that are a little less’ ICE- helpful” . , Finally, he said, “it’s stronger all- around when law enforcement agencies honor our summonses to keep folks like the 216 arrested in this function off our , roads” . ,
Up until 2017, ICE had a recurring report on the number of detainers that local authorities refused to honor. In just a single week at the end of January 2017, there were , 206 instances of detainers not being honored. Among the highest- volume , jurisdictions for non- compliance , were the” sanctuary counties” of Cook County ( Chicago ) and Clark County ( Las Vegas ). The level of illegal alien crime and the number of people who refuse to cooperate in combating it is alarming and shows how disregardive these governments ‘ leaders are of their constituents ‘ safety and the rule of law.
Many proponents of sanctuary policies contend that cities and states must protect illegal immigrants from immigration officials because otherwise they will not cooperate with local police and report crimes. However, this is simply not a valid argument. Everyone is at risk when ICE detainers are disregarded, especially illegal aliens, because many illegal alien criminals target their own communities. The problem only gets worse if dangerous drug traffickers like the ones who were detained here are allowed to practice in neighborhood settings.
The murder of Laken Riley in Georgia was one of the most recent and well-known tragedies to result from the refusal to honor ICE detainers. Her alleged killer, Jose Ibarra, had been previously arrested for child endangerment in New York City. However, the New York Police Department – notorious for its sanctuary policies— , released , him before ICE could assume custody, and this allowed him to move to Georgia, where he was charged with murdering the 22 year- old nursing student. However, her story is nowhere near the first, and sadly it will certainly not be the last tragedy to come from refusing to honor , detainers.
Although these recent comments by ICE regarding detainers are welcome, they fall far short of what the Biden Administration could do if it were serious about ending sanctuary policies. For instance, The Department of Justice could bring legal action against states that have laws that forbid keeping or otherwise interfering with federal immigration agents in violation of 8 U. S. C. 1873. Additionally, it might also prevent federal funding for sanctuary jurisdictions with other sanctuary policies. The President might ask Congress to act and impose stricter restrictions on state and local immigration laws.  , However, the Biden Administration has done none of these things.  , For the moment, it seems all it will do is , talk.
