Tag: sanctuary cities

172 Immigrants Arrested in Sanctuary Cities by ICE in Six Days

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and United States Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) concluded a targeted enforcement operation, which lasted for a week. The operation resulted in 170+ at-large illegal immigrants arrested throughout the United States in states with sanctuary policies.

About the Immigrants Arrested

ICE officers from the field offices of New York; Seattle; Denver; Philadelphia; Baltimore; and Washington, D.C., conducted the enforcement actions from October 3 through October 9. The arrests were targeted on aliens who have criminal convictions and were arrested but released by state or local law enforcement agencies despite having immigration detainers placed on the immigrants. In a press release, ICE announced that out of the 170+ arrested, more than 80% of the aliens arrested had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges at the time of the arrest.

The immigrants arrested include 54 in New York; 35 in Seattle; 34 in Denver; 26 in Philadelphia; 12 in Baltimore; and 11 in Washington, D.C. Just at the end of September, ICE announced the arrest of 128 aliens in California from where the operation was conducted from September 28 to October 2, as part of immigration enforcement actions. The news released by ICE also had data of the arrested aliens in the fiscal year 2019: ICE arrested more than 1,900 convictions and charges for homicide, 1,800 for kidnapping, 12,000 sex offenses, 5, 000 sexual assaults, 45,000 assaults, 67,000 crimes involving drugs, 10,000 weapons offenses, and 74,000 DUIs.

Acting DHS Secretary Chad F. Wolf said, “Last fiscal year, 86 percent of people arrested by ICE had criminal convictions or pending charges. ICE focuses its resources on those who pose the greatest threat to public safety. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to keep these individuals off the streets,” He further stated that, “The Department will continue to carry out lawful enforcement actions in order to keep our communities safe, regardless of whether or not we have cooperation from state and local officials. Politics will not come before safety when enforcing the law and keeping our citizens safe.”

Though the arrests made by ICE hints that it primarily targets immigrants with a criminal record, the press release by ICE stated that it does not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement.

About Sanctuary States

Sanctuary states are states with immigrant-friendly laws, that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The non-cooperation by the state or local law enforcement agencies acts as an impediment in ICE’s ability to arrest criminal aliens in such communities. It further stated that all those in violation of immigration laws can be subject to arrest, detention, and subsequently removable based on a removal order. Additionally, ICE stated that cooperation with local law enforcement is essential to maintaining public safety.

©2020 Norris McLaughlin P.A., All Rights Reserved
For more articles on ICE, visit the National Law Review Immigration section.

Federal Court Blocks Portion of Trump’s Executive Order Denying Federal Grants to Sanctuary Cities

gavel sanctuary citiesOnce again, a U.S. District Court has blocked part of one of President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders – the January 25th EO “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.”.  In explaining the purpose of that EO, President Trump stated “[s]anctuary jurisdictions across the United States willfully violate Federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States. These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic.”  To further that purpose, President Trump stated in Section 9(a) of the EO that these jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities “are not eligible to receive Federal grants, except as deemed necessary for law enforcement purposes. . . “  In a lawsuit filed by the cities of Santa Clara and San Francisco, California, U.S. District Court Judge William H. Orrick of the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction specifically blocking enforcement of Section 9(a) nationwide.

The government in defense of the EO argued that Section 9(a) had not actually done anything yet, that the President was only using the EO as a “bully pulpit” and that the cities could not show that they would be harmed. But like the various courts that ruled on the travel ban, Judge Orrick cited a list of comments made by President Trump, his advisors and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to cast doubt on the government’s argument and show that the administration planned to use the EO as a “weapon” against sanctuary cities.  He found that: “[t]he order’s attempt to place new conditions on federal funds is an improper attempt to wield Congress’s exclusive spending power and is a violation of the Constitution’s separation-of-powers principles.”

This case is highly likely to find its way to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and perhaps to the Supreme Court.  President Trump has already tweeted his disapproval:  “First the Ninth Circuit rules against the ban & now it hits again on sanctuary cities – both ridiculous rulings.  See you in the Supreme Court!”

ARTICLE BY Amy L. Peck & Michael H. Neifach of Jackson Lewis P.C.

Jackson Lewis P.C. © 2017