Feds push back on sanctuary policies to keep dangerous illegal immigrants in custody

California’s sanctuary-state policies have been a subject of controversy, with some arguing that they are undermining public safety. According to US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli, these policies have dismantled a once-cooperative system that kept higher-risk individuals from returning to the streets.

Essayli highlighted the challenges faced by law enforcement officials in dealing with criminal undocumented immigrants due to sanctuary policies. He pointed out that California is now a sanctuary state by law, making it difficult for immigration agents to take custody of these individuals directly from jails.

To address the issue, Essayli introduced Operation Guardian Angel, a coordinated federal initiative aimed at targeting deportable individuals in county custody before they are released back into the community. This operation involves multiple federal agencies working together to identify criminal undocumented immigrants in local jails and secure federal arrest warrants to prevent them from re-entering public life.

One of the key strategies used in Operation Guardian Angel is the reliance on fingerprinting and jail booking records to flag individuals with prior deportation history. Task forces start reviewing county jail bookings in the early morning hours, cross-checking fingerprints against federal databases to identify deportable individuals.

Those with prior removals can face federal felony charges for illegal reentry, allowing prosecutors to obtain warrants quickly and take custody of these individuals before they are released from local detention. Essayli emphasized the importance of knowing the identity of these individuals to make the program effective.

The financial burden of bypassing sanctuary policies is a concern for Essayli, who estimated the costs to be in the hundreds of millions, if not billions, when accounting for enforcement expenses and broader impacts. He also highlighted the benefits of the previous practice of immigration detainers, which allowed jail inmates to be transferred directly into federal custody after their local cases concluded.

However, Essayli lamented that many county jails now refuse to honor detainers, forcing federal authorities into more resource-intensive efforts to locate individuals after they have been released into communities. He emphasized that sanctuary policies are not protecting illegal immigrants but making things worse for them by exposing them to felony charges.

Essayli also pointed out a structural split between state prisons and county jails, where Gov. Gavin Newsom retains discretion over transfers from state prisons while sheriffs and police chiefs are restricted at the county level. He criticized the governor for using political cover to hand over only the worst offenders while restricting local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal authorities.

In conclusion, Essayli highlighted the importance of deporting criminal undocumented immigrants before they commit more serious crimes. He cited a tragic incident where a deportable individual released due to non-cooperation state policies went on to murder two women and an infant. The challenges posed by sanctuary policies in California continue to be a point of contention, with law enforcement officials calling for more cooperation to ensure public safety.