Tag: sanctuary cities

Sanctuary city scandal: Migrant who set fire to woman as she slept on NYC subway avoids deportation

An illegal immigrant accused of burning a woman alive inside a New York subway car will remain in the US because of sanctuary city policies that prohibit him from being deported.  

Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, is facing murder and arson charges relating to the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57. 

Prosecutors say Zapeta-Calil set the New Jersey woman on fire on a stopped train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station on December 22.

He then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on platform bench and watching as Kawam burned, they allege.

Under current policies enacted in the Big Apple, the city’s corrections department have refused to honor an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer for Zapeta-Calil. 

That decision was slammed by Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who was in NYC this week to meet with law enforcement. 

In a clip of her taken on the platform of the Coney Island stop, she said: ‘ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the NYC Department of Corrections to take this depraved alien into custody 

‘Because of current sanctuary city policy, the corrections department has indicated it will NOT honor the detainer.’

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Frustrated Chicagoans Cheer ICE Deportations and Efforts Targeting Sanctuary Policies

Chicago resident Vashon Tuncle joined “The Ingraham Angle,” to share his support for ICE’s efforts as well as the frustration many in his community feel after being ‘abandoned’ by local and state officials.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) have made it clear that protecting the city and state’s sanctuary policies for illegals is more important than protecting American citizens.

Pritzker is so committed to keeping ICE from doing what is necessary to secure our country that he spread a vicious hoax to sow fear in the community by falsely claiming ICE agents visited a school on Chicago’s South Side.

It was, in fact, Secret Service agents investigating a threat at the school, not ICE.

On Thursday, The Department of Justice on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago for allegedly interfering with federal immigration enforcement.

The lawsuit claims Pritzker and Johnson, as well as others, asserts that several state and local laws are “designed to and in fact interfere with and discriminate against the Federal Government’s enforcement of federal immigration law in violation of the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.”

Pritzker left his “tough talk” for President Trump rather than the criminals destroying his state.

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Sen. Thom Tillis Files Bill to Allow Victims of Migrant Crime to Sue Sanctuary Cities

North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has filed a bill that would allow the victims of migrant crime to sue the sanctuary cities that facilitated that crime.

On Thursday, Tillis and nine other Republicans filed S. 185, a bill titled the “Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act.”

“For far too long, we have watched local jurisdictions in North Carolina and across the country ignore the lawful notification and detainer requests made by ICE agents and instead release dangerous criminals back into their communities, putting innocent lives at risk,” Tillis said in a statement. “It is time for Congress to step in and hold sanctuary cities accountable.”

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DOJ probing sheriff over undocumented immigrant’s release

In what appears to be part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign against sanctuary cities, the Justice Department is investigating a sheriff in upstate New York who released an undocumented man later taken into custody by federal agents.

The US Attorney’s office for the Northern District of New York “is looking into the circumstances” surrounding the release by Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne of Jesus Romero-Hernandez, a 27-year-old Mexican citizen.

Romero-Hernandez pleaded guilty to a state assault charge and was sentenced to time served, necessitating his release. He left local custody in Ithaca before Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived to pick him up on a federal complaint charging him with illegally re-entering the United States after a prior removal.

Ithaca adopted a sanctuary law in 2017.

ICE, the U.S. Marshals Service and Homeland Security Investigations later apprehended Romero-Hernandez.

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Congress Summons Far-left Sanctuary City Mayors to Testify at a Committee Hearing on Protecting Criminal Aliens from Federal Law Enforcement

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has initiated a bold inquiry into the protective policies of notorious sanctuary cities against federal law enforcement.

This inquiry targets mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver, and New York City on their controversial stances on non-cooperation with federal immigration authorities, which Comer criticizes as “misguided and obstructionist policies that jeopardize American safety.”

Each of these cities has enacted measures that limit cooperation with federal efforts to apprehend and deport illegal immigrants, particularly those with criminal records.

Recall that Boston’s Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu made headlines last November with her interview with WCVB, where she vowed that Boston would not cooperate with the incoming administration’s deportation efforts.

“But what we can do is make sure that we are doing our part to protect our residents in every possible way, that we are not cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and having large-scale economic impact,” she said.

Also, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has declared his willingness to defy federal law and face jail time to protect illegal immigrants—including those with criminal records—from President-elect Donald Trump’s promised deportation efforts.

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Federal government ends sanctuary protections, expands immigration enforcement to SCHOOLS and CHURCHES

In a sweeping move to tighten immigration enforcement, the Trump administration has authorized federal officers to arrest illegal immigrants at previously protected locations, including schools, churches, and food banks. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman announced the policy shift on Monday, rescinding 2021 guidelines that designated such places as off-limits for immigration-related arrests. The decision, part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration, has sparked fierce debate, with supporters praising it as a necessary step to restore order, and human rights advocates condemning it as an overreach that threatens vulnerable communities and separates families.

A shift in enforcement priorities

The 2021 guidelines, implemented under the Biden administration, expanded protections for illegal immigrants by prohibiting arrests at locations deemed “sensitive,” including schools, churches, homeless shelters, and playgrounds. These protections built on a 2011 policy that initially shielded schools and places of worship from immigration enforcement.

At the time, then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emphasized the importance of balancing enforcement with humanitarian concerns, stating, “We can accomplish our enforcement mission without denying or limiting individuals’ access to needed medical care, children access to their schools, the displaced access to food and shelter, people of faith access to their places of worship, and more.”

However, the Trump administration has framed the rescission of these guidelines as a necessary step to restore order and prioritize public safety. “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” Huffman said in a statement. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”

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Rand Paul Drops the Hammer: Denver Mayor May Be REMOVED FROM OFFICE Over Defiance of Trump’s Deportation — ‘It’s a Form of Insurrection’

In a fiery appearance on Face the Nation, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) issued a stern warning to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston over his open defiance of federal immigration laws and President Trump’s promised deportation efforts.

“You know, I’m 100% supportive of going after the 15,000 murderers, the 13,000 sexual assault perpetrators, rapists—let’s send them on their way to prison or back home to another prison,” Paul asserted.

However, he made it clear that such efforts must not involve deploying the U.S. Army domestically, a move Paul deemed both unconstitutional and dangerous.

“We’ve had a long-standing distrust of putting the Army into our streets,” Paul explained. “The police understand the Fourth Amendment. They go to judges, get warrants, and ensure specificity. So, I’m for removing these people, but through the normal process of domestic policing.”

Calling the mayor’s actions a “form of insurrection,” Paul declared that Johnston could face removal from office and potential legal consequences if he continues down this path.

“The mayor of Denver, if he’s going to resist federal law, which is a long-standing history of the supremacy of federal law, if he’s going to resist that, it will go all the way to the Supreme Court,” said Paul.

“I would suspect that he would be removed from office. I don’t know whether or not there’d be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal law, but he will lose. People need to realize that what he is offering is a form of insurrection where the states resist the federal government.”

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ICE Preparing ‘Big F–king Operation’ Raiding Sanctuary Cities IMMEDIATELY After Trump is Inaugurated, According to Report

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is going to launch a “big f–king operation” in sanctuary cities immediately after President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, according to a new report from the New York Post.

Raids will occur in major cities, including New York City and Chicago.

According to The Post’s sources, the operation will begin on January 21, just one day after President Donald Trump returns to the White House.

The report explains:

Starting Jan. 21, multi-day “ground operations” will be launched across cities that have served as safe havens for migrants because the local authorities do not cooperate with the federal government when it comes to immigration issues, sources said.

The massive sweep is likely to target people with removal orders, according to sources.

Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan has vowed that the mass deportations will begin on Day 1 to focus on illegal immigrants who pose threats to the country.

Citing an unnamed source, The Post reports that ICE has paused arrests to make room for the massive influx of illegal aliens picked up in the raids.

“We aren’t arresting anyone and bringing them into custody, making room for what may happen next week,” the report quotes the source saying.

On Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that over 200 ICE agents will be deployed to Chicago alone.

Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan appeared to confirm the report during an appearance on Fox News later in the day.

“It’s going to be a big raid all across the country,” Homan said.

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Suspect arrested with ‘flamethrower’ near LA Fire is an illegal immigrant: sources

The homeless man tackled and zip-tied by onlookers who say he was trying to start fires with a blowtorch near a Los Angeles wildfire is an illegal immigrant who will likely be protected by California’s sanctuary city status, according to sources.

The suspect is Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, a Mexican national who is in the United States illegally, sources told The Post.

He was chased and taken down by residents of Woodland Hills after they allegedly saw him torching old Christmas trees and debris on fire with what one resident described as a “flamethrower” soon after the massive wildfire began Thursday.

The suspect is being held on a felony probation violation, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said, without detailing his previous conviction.

Detectives are still investigating it as possible arson, but LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said Friday that there was not immediately enough evidence for that charge.

ICE placed a detainer request on him three days ago, but the federal agency does not expect it to be honored due to California’s sanctuary state law, sources said.

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Incoming Border Czar Warns He Will Double Manpower in ‘Sanctuary Cities’ That Interfere with Deportation Operation

Incoming Border Czar Tom Homan has warned that he will double manpower in “sanctuary cities” that interfere and push back against the Trump administration’s deportation operation.

Homan discussed his plans on Friday’s episode of Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.”

One of the big problems in the current immigration system, Homan explained, is that many agents are stuck performing administrative duties.

To solve the problem, Homan said he intends to contract out as much work as possible to perform tasks that don’t require law enforcement officials.

“[M]y plan is, and I’ve been very vocal about this, we’re going to contract as much work out as we can, work that doesn’t require a badge and a gun, because I need badges and guns on the street to do the deportation operation,” Homan explained.

“So, when it comes to driving a bus, transportation, whether it’s ground or air, whether it’s processing, whether it’s other administrative duties, contract that work out, because right now, we’ve got badges and guns doing that work,” he continued. “Get them out of that administrative work, put more on the street, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Homan warned that “if these sanctuary states and cities keep pushing back, I’ll have the extra resources to double manpower in those sanctuary cities. Because if we can’t arrest the bad guy in the jail with one agent, it means I’ve got to send a whole team out into the field to find this person, and, for officer safety reasons, we need a whole team, rather than just one person.”

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