ICE Director Readies National Sanctuary Crackdown
Legislative Update: By: RJ Hauman
Empowered by a president who has “taken the handcuffs off of law enforcement,” the nation’s chief immigration enforcement official revealed that his agency will devote more resources to arresting criminal aliens in sanctuary cities. (Washington Examiner, July 18, 2017) Thomas Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said in an interview that hundreds of ICE agents are set to deploy to sanctuary cities while he works to swell the agency’s ranks by 10,000. (Id.) “The president recognizes that you’ve got to have a true interior enforcement strategy to make it uncomfortable for [illegal aliens],” the 30-year immigration agency veteran said. (Id.) Homan also noted that, in the first six months of the Trump administration, illegal border crossings have crashed by almost 70 percent, “an historic low,” arrests inside the country have jumped 40 percent, and requests to detain criminal aliens in local jails have skyrocketed 80 percent. (Id.)
Homan ripped some of the most notorious sanctuary cities that do not cooperate with ICE and ignore detainer requests, including Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco. (Id.) He called all 300-plus sanctuary cities and counties “ludicrous,” adding, “In the America I grew up in, cities didn’t shield people who violated the law.” (Id.) Homan also noted that sanctuary policies actually create more fear in immigrant communities by forcing ICE agents to hunt down fugitives at their homes or work. (Id.) “I’m going to arrest him and anybody else with him because there is no population off the table anymore,” he said. (Id.) In a recent appearance before a House Appropriations Subcommittee, Homan warned that no illegal alien is safe from deportation. (Washington Examiner, June 13, 2017) “What I want to get to is a clear understanding from everybody, from the congressmen to the politicians to law enforcement to those who enter the country illegally, that ICE is open for business. We’re going to enforce the laws on the books without apology, we’ll continue to prioritize what we do. But it’s not OK to violate the laws of this country anymore, you’re going to be held accountable,” said Homan. (Id.)