Homeland Security Deploying Elite Border Patrol Units to Sanctuary Cities
It looks like things are about to get real for illegal alien criminals who think themselves safe because they are living in sanctuary cities. Even better, the progressive politicians who are set on endangering citizens by protecting illegals who commit additional crimes might find that their efforts to safeguard these individuals are in vain.
The Washington Times reported on Saturday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is sending “elite Border Patrol teams” to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) find and deport undocumented immigrants hiding out in sanctuary cities. According to DHS officials, they are being forced to take this action because local governments are barring law enforcement from assisting federal agencies in removing illegals from the country. Lawrence Payne, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, told The New York Times that the agency is sending 100 officers to assist ICE, “to enhance the integrity of the immigration system, protect public safety, and strengthen our national security.”
The executive branch under President Donald Trump has been escalating the effort to curtail illegal immigration, especially at the border. Recently, Attorney General William Barr announced that the Justice Department would be filing a series of lawsuits against officials implementing policies designed to prevent law enforcement from arresting illegal immigrants.
As you might have already guessed, the progressive open borders crowd came out in full force to whine about DHS’s announcement. Naureen Shah, who works with the American Civil Liberties Union, said, “This is transparent retaliation against local governments for refusing to do the administration’s bidding.” She also suggested that, “We shouldn’t have SWAT-like teams participating in immigration enforcement across the country.”
ICE is the primary agency tasked with tracking down and deporting illegal immigrants. Under the Trump administration, it has prioritized removing illegals who commit additional crimes after crossing the border over those who entered the country to obtain work. But ICE agents have had a particularly difficult time doing their jobs in cities like Chicago, New York, Atlanta, and Los Angeles because of sanctuary laws that forbid local law enforcement agencies to work with the federal agency when they detain individuals whose immigration status is in question.
Not only are local law enforcement organizations unable to hand illegal immigrant criminals over to ICE, they typically end up releasing them into the public without notifying the federal agency, which makes it harder to capture them. Even worse, it enables them to commit further crimes — many of which are violent — against people living in the country legally.
Maria Fuertes is a tragic example of the terror that sanctuary laws enable. She was allegedly murdered by a Guyanese illegal immigrant named Reeaz Khan, who had been released from custody in New York to avoid an ICE detainer request.
While sanctuary laws impede the progress of agencies like ICE, perhaps this elite Border Patrol force can help the agency do its job despite the interference of progressive politicians who wish to allow illegals — even ones who commit violent crimes — to remain in the country. Since the local governments of these cities refuse to safeguard their populations, ICE and CBP have their work cut out for them.
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