Tag: sanctuary cities

ICE Director Says Sanctuary Cities Fueled Minnesota’s Fraud Crisis

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Toddy Lyons asserted that Minnesota’s so-called sanctuary state laws are in part to blame for the rampant fraud being exposed in the state. He argued that those laws, ensure that fraudsters, as well as illegal immigrants, have safe havens to abuse the American taxpayers.

“There’s always a tie when it comes to sanctuary jurisdictions, where you can hide in plain sight. You see a lot of these fraudsters use a lot of sanctuary rules and sanctuary protections to enact in criminal fraud just like this,” Lyons said.

We’ve been on the ground for so long looking into these states that are conducting these type of material fraud, and when Homeland Security Investigations goes into these businesses, there is criminal activity when it comes to labor trafficking, child trafficking, human exploitation and that’s what we’re looking at up there in Minnesota. And you’ll always come back to these sanctuary jurisdictions where you’ll find them hiding in plain sight and using those sanctuary protections to employ not only illegal aliens, but to conduct criminal fraud just like you’re seeing right now.

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Mamdani: NYC Will Arrest ICE Agents. City in Danger of Trespassing Multiple Federal Laws.

In keeping with his Marxist campaign platform, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will apparently have his cops arrest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

He didn’t use those words, but he did strongly imply it, as does his platform, which itself says he will put New York into rebellion and insurrection against the federal government.

Whether President Donald Trump will have Mamdani arrested if he interferes with ICE, as he promised in June, remains to be seen. But that might just happen. Mamdani’s campaign literature certainly seems to say he is willing to violate at least five federal statutes.

Mamdani’s Platform

Mamdani’s platform is clear on the immigration question: The city will harbor illegals and block ICE from arresting and deporting them. It vows to “end any cooperation” with the agency and “get ICE out of all city facilities.” That includes the city’s Rikers Island jail complex, which Mamdani plans to close anyway.

The reason: Cooperation “is not about making New York safer, but about tearing families apart and throwing our communities into disarray,” his website says:

The Mamdani administration will end this collaboration immediately and ensure all City-owned or City-leased facilities remain protected from Trump’s deportation efforts. The administration will also ensure that no City resources are used for immigration enforcement. … Overall, sanctuary laws make us safer, including by allowing undocumented people to talk to the police.

Mamdani promised to spend $165 million for illegals to get lawyers, and to “protect all personal data from other jurisdictions.” That means the city will not tell the government when it has arrested an illegal alien.

During his campaign, he vowed to “kick the ‘fascist ICE’ out of New York City.” The Big Apple, he said, will be “Trump Proof.”

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Illinois Law Would Shield Illegals From Arrest, Allow Them to Sue Agents Who Arrest Them

Far-left Democrats in the Illinois General Assembly have passed a bill that will provide sanctuary to illegal aliens in courthouses and give them a right to sue the federal agents who arrest them.

Hate-Trump Governor J.B. Pritzker, who believes federal immigration and other agents are “Gestapo” stormtroopers and vows to prosecute them, will almost certainly sign the bill as soon as it hits his desk.

The federal Justice Department will likely sue to overturn the bill under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, an action that might go nowhere. A federal judge appointed by President Joe Biden dismissed the department’s lawsuit to overturn Chicago’s and Illinois’ sanctuary statutes.

The law will shield illegal-alien sex fiends and murderers from arrest and deportation.

The Bill

The law is an amendment attached to a bill, of all things, for a POW-MIA recognition day.

It includes several provisions to help illegals escape deportation, as Capitol News Illinois reported:

Under the bill, civil immigration arrests would be barred inside state courthouses and within a 1,000-foot buffer zone outside of the buildings. Though there had long been a de facto understanding that such were off-limits for immigration enforcement, they have increasingly been the site of apprehensions over the past year. Those who violate the act would face statutory damages of $10,000.

The bill also allows Illinois residents to sue immigration agents for violating their constitutional rights. They would be able to collect punitive damages, which can be increased if the agents are wearing a mask, concealing their identity, failing to wear a body camera or using a vehicle with a non-Illinois or obscured license plate.

In other words, legislators hope to endanger the lives of federal agents by forcing them to reveal their identity, which illegal-alien gangs and their supporters could use to harass, assault, or murder the agents or their families. Federal prosecutors have charged two men who solicited the murder of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, one of them in Chicago. As well, as The New American reported, citing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Mexican drug cartels have created a three-tiered bounty system on agents, with a $10,000 reward for murdering one.

Not surprisingly, one enthusiast for the bill is an immigrant Democratic legislator from Vietnam, Hoan Huynh. He called ICE’s behavior “un-American,” the website reported:

We cannot continue to allow gun-toting mercenaries, often without agency badges, to roam our communities and abduct our neighbors. Enough is enough. ICE conduct is unacceptable and un-American. If you love the Constitution of the United States, if you love America as much as you say you do, and if you believe in due process, then I urge you to vote yes on this bill.

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Zohran Mamdani Says He Will Defend Illegal Aliens’ Right to Live in NYC

Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani says he will defend the rights of illegal aliens to live in New York City against President Donald Trump.

During a press conference this week, Mamdani, an immigrant from Uganda, was asked about the potential of Trump having Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conduct raids across New York City as well as possibly sending in the National Guard.

In response, Mamdani attacked Mayor Eric Adams (D) and said he would fight for the city’s sanctuary policy that bans the New York City Police Department (NYPD) from working with ICE agents to arrest and detain even the most violent illegal aliens.

“I will not be the mayor that we have today who went on national television and opened the door to civil immigration enforcement,” Mamdani said. “I will be the mayor that stands up for our sanctuary city policies, that stands up for every New Yorker’s right to live in this city, and the mayor who will hold everyone accountable to the law, no matter who they are.”

Months ago, Mamdani suggested that his administration would go even further than the city’s sanctuary policy, though he was unclear on the details.

“The Trump administration is waging war on the First Amendment and our constitutional rights as it continues to abduct New Yorkers from across our city,” Mamdani said. “Any effort to cooperate with these efforts is a moral stain on our city. We should strengthen our sanctuary city laws.”

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Sanctuary State Illinois: Illegal Alien Accused of Killing GOP Elected Official and His Wife in Fatal Crash

In the sanctuary state of Illinois, where Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has attempted to impede federal immigration enforcement, an illegal alien is accused of killing a Republican elected official and his wife in Coles County.

Police say that 34-year-old illegal alien Edwin Pacheco-Meza of Honduras was driving a van on Oct. 24 when he crossed the center lane and struck 71-year-old Michael Clayton and his wife, 66-year-old Gail Clayton — killing them instantly.

Michael Clayton was a Republican elected official who served on the Coles County Board.

“Mike and Gail were a team in every sense. Together, they lived their lives with strong values, unwavering love for family, and a deep dedication to their hometown,” the couple’s obituary reads:

They believed in supporting the Charleston community and keeping their business local whenever possible. Whether it was groceries, gifts, or meals, they always chose local shops and markets, proudly supporting small businesses and encouraging others to do the same. They were familiar faces at the Charleston Farmer’s Market, always taking time to visit with neighbors and friends.
[Emphasis added]

Pacheco-Meza, who crossed the southern border as an unknown got-away, was in his vehicle with 18-year-old illegal alien Juan Morales-Martinez of Guatemala, who crossed the border in December 2023 and was released into the United States interior by the Biden administration.

The illegal aliens were found with an extended magazine, firearm ammunition, drugs, and an open container of alcohol in their vehicle, police say.

Pacheco-Meza was charged with reckless homicide and drunk driving, while Morales-Martinez was charged with drug possession and weapons violations.

After they were arrested, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged detainers against the illegal aliens, seeking custody of them, but the detainers were ignored by the Clark County Jail thanks to Pritzker’s sanctuary state policy.

Still, ICE agents waited for Morales-Martinez to be released from jail and arrested him outside of the jail. Pacheco-Meza remains in Clark County Jail.

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Asks Reporter If the Word Illegal Alien Is ‘Sci-Fi’ Term

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson melted down after a reporter asked a question that used the term “illegal alien.” 

Johnson said:  “We don’t have illegals. Aliens — I don’t know if that’s from some sort of sci-fi message you wish you’d had. The legal term for my people was slaves — you want me to use that term too? Let’s get the language right.  We’re talking about undocumented individuals who are human beings. The last thing I’m going to do is accept racist, nasty language to describe them.”

Chicago is a sanctuary city, meaning that it won’t partner with immigration officers who deport illegal aliens unless those people are wanted on a criminal warrant by local or federal authorities, if they have been convicted of a serious crime and remain in the United States illegally, or if they are a clear threat to public safety or national security.

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Convicted Pedophile Illegal Alien Released by Sanctuary City, Arrested Again

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the arrest of Rick Martinez Lopez, an illegal alien from Guatemala with multiple convictions in Virginia. 

Despite his history as a convicted pedophile and registered sex offender, the Richmond City Jail released him in August after refusing to honor an ICE detainer. 

That decision allowed a violent criminal back into the community, proving that the consequences of sanctuary policies are not abstract but dangerously real.

Martinez Lopez’s record is extensive and alarming. His convictions include sexual assault of a child, failure to register as a sex offender, and probation violations. 

He was a known threat, yet local officials chose to ignore a lawful detainer request from federal immigration authorities. 

Instead of cooperating with ICE, Richmond authorities prioritized political ideology over public safety, enabling a repeat offender to walk free in Virginia neighborhoods.

The release demonstrates how sanctuary policies function in practice. 

Federal immigration officers attempted to carry out their duties, but local officials refused to cooperate, placing ideology above enforcement. 

These policies undermine public trust and erode the ability of federal officers to protect communities from individuals already proven dangerous. 

Rather than safeguarding families, sanctuary decisions increase the likelihood that predators remain in close proximity to vulnerable populations.

Martinez Lopez entered the United States illegally at an unknown time and place, bypassing any form of lawful inspection. 

His presence in the country reflects how failures at the border combine with sanctuary loopholes to create lasting dangers. 

When local governments decline to assist federal officers, the result is not community protection but heightened risk. 

Communities are forced to live with the consequences of criminals shielded from deportation.

After his release, Martinez Lopez spent weeks freely moving about before ICE finally apprehended him on October 14. 

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Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier Files Supreme Court Lawsuit Against Gavin Newsom and California Over “Sanctuary” Policies for Illegal Aliens

Florida is taking the fight straight to the top.

Attorney General James Uthmeier announced late Wednesday night that Florida has filed a landmark lawsuit against California in the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that Governor Gavin Newsom’s “sanctuary” state policies are putting American lives at risk and violating the Constitution.

“Tonight, we filed a lawsuit against Gavin Newsom and California in the U.S. Supreme Court because their so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies for illegal aliens are harming states like Florida,” Uthmeier announced.

“California must pay for the carnage of their open border policies and unlawful CDL programs.”

The lawsuit comes after a deadly crash in Florida involving an illegal immigrant from India, identified as Harjinder Singh, who had obtained a commercial driver’s license (CDL) from California and later Washington State despite being unable to read road signs or speak English.

The crash killed three Haitian nationals living legally in the U.S. under temporary protected status.

It was revealed that Singh received a work permit from the Biden regime in June 2021 after the Trump administration denied him one in September 2020.

While he illegally crossed in 2018, it was Biden who gave him permission to live and work in the United States, and it was California that illegally granted him a driver’s license.

As Fox News’ Sean Hannity reminded viewers Wednesday night, the illegal driver “was only behind the wheel because California gives out regular driver’s licenses  even commercial ones to illegals.”

Once an illegal immigrant secures a standard license, upgrading to a CDL becomes easy, despite federal law requiring English proficiency and road safety knowledge.

In the wake of the tragedy, the Department of Transportation, under Sean Duffy, announced it will withhold $40 million in federal grant money from California for failing to enforce English language requirements for truck drivers.

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Noem demands Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker drop sanctuary policies after alleged illegal immigrant murderer arrested: ‘He’s failing those families’

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem criticized Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for upholding sanctuary laws after requesting the extradition of an illegal immigrant who allegedly killed a woman in her Illinois apartment and has since fled to Mexico.

Gabriel P. Calixto is the individual suspected of stabbing 24-year-old Emma Shafer in her Springfield, Illinois, apartment in July 2023. Calixto was in the United States illegally when the crime was committed, and has since been captured by Mexican law enforcement.

Calixto is being charged with first-degree murder and domestic battery in connection with the attack.

“The vicious illegal alien murderer who has been evading justice for two years after stabbing 24-year-old Emma Shafer has been ARRESTED. We will continue to work with federal authorities to coordinate extradition proceedings,” Noem stated. “THANK YOU to our law enforcement partners for bringing this perpetrator to justice.”

Noem went on to criticize Pritzker’s opposition to President Donald Trump’s imminent federal intervention in Chicago to conduct immigration raids while highlighting the issue of violent crime that has plagued Chicago for decades.

“For 13 consecutive years, Chicago had more murders than any other American city,” Noem stated on Sunday. “In fact, just last year, in 2024, they had three times the amount of murders than LA did, five times more than New York City.”

“So he can talk about what a great job he’s doing as governor, but he’s failing those families who will no longer have their child with them, their mother or their father or their cousin, aunt, and uncle that are gone forever because of the violence that’s happening in Chicago,” she continued.

Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, argued that Pritzker should be fighting for his people instead of the president, suggesting that it “seems like it’s more about Gov. Pritzker’s ego, now, rather than actually protecting his people.”

“If he has one murder in the city of Chicago, he should be calling President Trump and saying, ‘What’s your ideas? What can we do?’” Noem added.

“They don’t even honor our detainers in Chicago. They don’t go out there and work with us to make sure we’re bringing people to justice. And instead, he goes on TV and he attacks me when we’re doing exactly what those people need. They need someone to help them get the dangerous criminals off their streets.”

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Chicago Mayor Going To War With Trump Over Possible Immigration Crackdown

Leftists in sanctuary cities and states are scrambling to stop Donald Trump’s deportation efforts, but is there anything they can realistically do to interfere with operations to remove illegal aliens from the US?  Short of going to war with the federal government and a majority of the American public, the answer is no.    

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced he is taking steps to fight President Donald Trump’s expected immigration crackdown and potential National Guard deployment in the Chicago area.  Johnson signed the “Protecting Chicago” executive order on Saturday as the Trump administration prepares to conduct a major immigration enforcement operation, which could start as soon as next week.

Johnson had a glassy, wide-eyed look of fear as he signed his executive order, indicating that the far-left politician is probably aware that if he takes his interference too far he might end up in handcuffs just like the estimated 550,000 illegal migrants currently residing in Chicago. 

Johnson’s order prevents any cooperation between local law enforcement and federal agents on the ground.  It demands that federal agents operate without masks and that they display their names and badge numbers (an act that would expose them and their families to possible retribution by leftist activists).  The mayor also directed an army of lawyers working for the city to pursue all legal and legislative avenues to bog down White House operations in the courts. 

Johnson has recently called for direct interference against ICE arrests and any National Guard presence by local activist groups.

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