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Dr. Phil joins ICE team and border czar Tom Homan for Chicago deportation operations

27 January 2025 at 09:58

Dr. Phil embedded with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) team in Chicago as they carried out deportation operations under the new Trump administration.

Phil McGraw, known as "Dr. Phil," joined border czar Tom Homan and a team of agents on Sunday as they took various illegal immigrants into custody. This comes after Homan declared that Chicago would be "ground zero" for immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans.

As part of his show on Merit TV, Dr. Phil filmed a variety of arrests—at one point interviewing a convicted sex offender and internet predator from Thailand who was residing illegally in The Windy City.

"You've been charged with sex crimes with children?" Dr. Phil asked.

MSNBC ANCHOR CORRECTS HER CORRESPONDENT ON-AIR: THEY'RE 'UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS'

"Not really," the man replied.

"Not really!?" Dr. Phil exclaimed.

The man claimed that he had never been deported and that his mother was a U.S. citizen. He also recognized Dr. Phil from his television appearances, often avoiding the famous psychologist's questions.

Homan told Dr. Phil that the man was an example of failed sanctuary city policies.

"We got an illegal alien, convicted of sex crimes involving children. He's walking the streets of Chicago," Homan said. "Again, the downfall, the problems with the sanctuary city—people like this walking the streets, rather than local law enforcement working with federal agents. This is what we're dealing with."

Trump has criticized sanctuary cities, including Chicago, for resisting federal immigration policies. "We're trying to get rid of them (sanctuary cities). We're trying to end them. And a lot of the people in those communities don't want them," Trump told Fox's Sean Hannity last Wednesday.

TRUMP’S ICE NABS CHILD SEX OFFENDERS AMONG 530+ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN SINGLE DAY

Dr. Phil revealed on the show that he had to be briefed on extensive security protocols as part of the "high-risk mission."

"This truly is a targeted ICE mission because they're not sweeping neighborhoods like people are trying to imply," he said. "I know that because I've been involved heading into this. They've identified 270 high-value targets, and what I mean by that is that these are known criminals and terrorists."

ICE arrested over 460 individuals in the first days of an immigration sweep, targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Offenses included sexual assault, domestic violence, and weapons crimes.

During a conversation at a Chicago-based ICE command center, Dr. Phil asked if agents were going into schools to arrest children who were in the U.S. illegally.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS

"Is anything like that happening?" he asked.

"No, sir," Homan said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has committed to shielding the city's migrant population from federal immigration crackdowns, vowing to uphold the city's sanctuary city policies.

"I find it unconscionable that this administration would attempt to create not just division but fear within our public schools," Johnson said, referring to potential federal raids. He directed city departments to "stand firm and uphold the local ordinance" in compliance with the Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits local law enforcement from assisting federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Fox News' Madison Colombo contributed to this report.

Dem governor backs ICE arresting 'criminals' despite vowing to use 'every tool' against Trump deportations

24 January 2025 at 14:59

The Democratic governor of Massachusetts signaled her support for arresting criminal illegal immigrants, saying she supports "the apprehension of criminals in our communities" 

Gov. Maura Healey told reporters on Thursday that she supports arresting criminals, regardless of whether they are undocumented or not, according to local news outlet WCVB.

Fox News witnessed ICE Boston making eight arrests this week, including multiple MS-13 members, Interpol Red Notices, murder and rape suspects, and a volatile Haitian gang member with 18 convictions in recent years who shouted that he "ain’t going back to Haiti" and "F--- Trump, Biden forever!"

The arrests come as the Trump administration moves rapidly to fulfill its promise to launch a historic mass deportation operation, which it has said will focus primarily – but not exclusively – on public safety threats.

‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’: TRUMP DECLARES AMBITIOUS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS

Addressing the arrests, Healey said she "wouldn't describe them as raids," but instead, "what it seems to be, and what we expected and what I support, which is the apprehension of criminals in our communities."

"Whether you’re documented or undocumented, you commit crimes, you’re subject to investigation and prosecution and accountability, and it looks like that is what happened," Healey said, according to Fox local outlet, Boston 25.

Healey, who previously vowed to resist Trump’s deportation efforts in November, noted that Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state, despite a 2017 ruling by the state Supreme Judicial Court that severely limits law enforcement cooperation with ICE.

Healey said in November that her state police will "absolutely not" be cooperating with Trump's mass deportation efforts, warning that she will use "every tool in the toolbox" to "protect" residents in the blue state.

"I still remain opposed on efforts to target large swaths of an undocumented population who've done nothing wrong other than they're here without lawful presence," she said.

TRUMP GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH SANCTUARY CITIES OVER DEPORTATION AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN SET TO BEGIN

Healey has taken a slightly more centrist position on immigration enforcement in recent months.

After an illegal migrant was caught using the state’s migrant shelter system for illegal activity, Healey said she was "outraged," She ordered a full inspection of the system and sent a letter to Massachusetts legislative leaders, urging them to amend the state’s "right to shelter" laws to exclude illegal immigrants.

At the time, she commented that Trump now has the opportunity to fix the border and said, "I hope he does."

ICE ARRESTS MORE THAN 530 MIGRANTS IN ONE DAY AMID TRUMP'S CRACKDOWN

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, however, continues to staunchly oppose the Trump administration’s crackdown.

She has taken to social media several times this week to express her anger over Trump’s immigration decisions, saying in one X post that "State & local law enforcement cannot be commandeered for federal immigration enforcement. Despite what President Trump may think, he doesn't have the authority to unilaterally rewrite our Constitution."

"State AGs won't hesitate to respond if his threats become illegal actions," she said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Meanwhile, Republican state Representatives Michael Soter and Kenneth Sweezey introduced a bill on Friday, titled "An Act to promote and protect safety in the Commonwealth," which would empower local and state law enforcement to more fully cooperate with ICE.

"The immigration issue in Massachusetts has gotten completely out of control," Sweezey said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital. "This piece of legislation is a very simple, common-sense first step in rectifying part of the issue."

Bill Melugin, Stephen Sorace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

'Not my job': Sheriff vows Las Vegas Police will not assist with Trump's illegal immigration 'roundups'

23 January 2025 at 15:23

After President Donald Trump's return to the White House and swift, sweeping actions to crack down on illegal immigration, the head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), Sheriff Kevin McMahill, doubled down on a policy guiding officers to limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (IC) and not assist with federal immigration "roundups."

The department emphasized its policy of not investigating immigration violations, according to a statement posted on X Tuesday. The department said its statement was in response to "questions regarding immigration enforcement."

The policy, which was instituted during the first Trump administration in 2019 and then amended in 2023, states that "although Nevada peace officers have the authority to assist in enforcing federal laws, LVMPD officers will not enforce immigration violations." And "officers will not stop and question, detain, arrest, or place an immigration hold on any individuals on the grounds they are an undocumented immigrant.

"It is the policy of this department to recognize the dignity of all persons, regardless of their national origin or immigration status," the policy states. "LVMPD is committed to community-oriented policing as a strategy that focuses on developing relationships with community members regardless of the immigration status of a suspect or victim."

'LOUD AND CLEAR': BORDER STATE'S LEGISLATURE MOVES TO BACK TRUMP'S ICE ON DEPORTATIONS

According to the LVMPD policy, the department "will share criminal intelligence regarding transnational organized crime and international terrorism with any and all law enforcement agencies to include ICE." 

The policy further states that the department will also notify ICE when a foreign-born individual is arrested and charged with a violent felony, domestic violence or driving under the influence at the time of booking and release.

DOJ TO INVESTIGATE STATE OR LOCAL OFFICIALS WHO OBSTRUCT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT: MEMO

However, the LVMPD policy says that the department "will not delay the release of an inmate for ICE" and will release a migrant "if ICE is not present at the time of the inmate’s release."

In an interview with local outlet 8 News Now, McMahill said his officers would not assist federal authorities with "roundups" of illegal immigrants, saying, "That’s not my job. I have too much to do.

"I don’t intend to change that policy any time soon. What I do hope happens is that there’s a bipartisan effort to secure our border."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

In previous statements, ICE has said law enforcement agencies refusing to honor its immigration "detainers," or hold requests, unnecessarily place agents and communities in danger by necessitating potentially violent confrontations and arrests in public spaces.

Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, has spoken out unequivocally against public officials who have vowed not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

"When you release a public safety threat back into the community, that puts the community at great risk of crime, and it puts our officers at great risk. Now, they’ve got to arrest the bad guy on his turf, where he has access to who knows what weapons, and it puts the public at risk," Homan told Fox News Wednesday.

"To sanctuary cities, I’ve said this many times: Let us into the jail, where it’s safer for an agent to arrest a bad guy, it’s safer for the bad guy to be arrested in jail and it's safer for the community.

"I want to save lives. A secure border saves lives. And when President Trump locks this border down, less women and children will be sex trafficked in this country, less aliens will die making that journey," he added. 

"Sanctuary cities are going to get exactly what they don't want — more agents in the communities, more people arrested, more collaterals arrested. So, that's a game they want to play? Game on."

Trump goes toe-to-toe with sanctuary cities over deportation as illegal immigration crackdown set to begin

21 January 2025 at 03:00

President Trump is taking on defiant sanctuary cities as he seeks to fulfill a vital campaign pledge to mass deport illegal immigrants while blue city leaders dig in their heels, resisting any form of assistance to federal authorities that could lead to migrants' removal. 

Tom Homan, Trump's designated border czar, has promised to unveil a series of "game-changing" executive orders that have prompted sanctuary cities to cement their statuses as safe havens for migrants.

The cities, from Chicago to San Diego, have doubled down by reaffirming local ordinances to prohibit local law enforcement from assisting federal authorities in immigration removal operations.

President Trump put illegal immigration front and center in his inaugural address on Monday, promising: "All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came." 

TRUMP TO DEPLOY MILITARY TO BORDER, END BIDEN PAROLE POLICIES IN FLURRY OF DAY ONE EXECUTIVE ORDERS

Los Angeles, in November following Trump's election win, formalized policies prohibiting city resources from being used to support federal deportation efforts and further solidifying its stance as a sanctuary city. 

San Diego's board of supervisors passed a similar policy that prohibits county agencies from working with federal immigration authorities. California's history as a shelter for migrants was cemented in 2017 after former Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation making California a sanctuary state. 

During Trump's first term, he cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in law enforcement grants to sanctuary cities. The Biden administration restored the grants in 2021, Reuters reported.

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, a vocal critic of the state's immigration policies, told Fox News Digital that he hopes to see "America return to the rule of law."

"I will fight to secure our border and oppose any handouts or incentives that encourage illegal immigration," he said. "We must put Americans first and uphold the integrity of our nation."

BLUE STATE COUNTY IGNORES ICE DETAINERS AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH RAPE

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston made headlines after saying he would go to jail over his opposition to Trump’s mass deportation plan, sharing that he predicted a "Tiananmen Square moment" if federal immigration officials attempted to do their job.

"More than us having DPD stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there," Johnston said in the interview with Denverite. "It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants."

But in a subsequent interview with 9News, he walked back those comments.

"Would I have taken it back if I could? Yes, I probably wouldn't have used that image," Johnston said. "That's the image I hope we can avoid. What I was trying to say is this is an outcome I hope we can avoid in this country. I think none of us want that."

But he said he was prepared to protest against anything he believes is "illegal or immoral or un-American" in the city — including the use of military force — and was then asked if he was prepared to go to jail for standing in the way of policies enacted by the administration.

"Yeah, I'm not afraid of that, and I'm also not seeking that," Johnston said. "I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people how to solve hard problems."

Denver has seen an unprecedented influx of migrants arriving in the city under former President Biden's administration, and Johnston has slashed city services to house and feed migrants.

TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM PLEDGES TO END CONTROVERSIAL APP USED BY MIGRANTS ON ‘DAY ONE’ 

On Sunday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's opposition rang loud and clear when he vowed to oppose Trump's plans.

"Chicago stands strong: regardless of the circumstances, our commitment to protecting and supporting this city remains unwavering," Johnson wrote in a social media post on Sunday. "We will continue to fight for the justice and safety of all who call this place home."

Johnson's statement came after he assured the city would continue to comply with the 2017 Illinois Trust Act, which prohibits local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration enforcement.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANNING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS THROUGHOUT US ON ‘DAY ONE’ 

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reiterated Boston's status as a sanctuary city following Trump's election, saying that she doesn't want migrants to "retreat into the shadows."

"The last thing we want is for people who are part of our economy, part of our school system, part of our community and the fabric of our city, to feel that all of a sudden they have to retreat into the shadows," Wu said during an interview on WCVB's On The Record.

Like many sanctuary cities, Boston passed legislation prohibiting local law enforcement from asking people about their immigration status or sharing information with ICE. The Boston Trust Act was signed into law in 2014 under Mayor Marty Walsh, and amendments were made in 2019.

"The Boston Trust Act puts strict prohibitions on local law enforcement from being pulled into becoming the enforcement arm for the whims of whatever the sort of approach of the federal immigration law might be," Wu said during an interview on WGBH

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has echoed the Boston mayor's sentiment, saying that the Massachusetts State Police would "absolutely not" assist in immigration enforcement. 

MAJOR BLUE CITY MAYOR SILENT AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT USES SHELTER FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

WATCH TRUMP'S BORDER CZAR ON DEPORTATION PLANS:

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday night that Trump’s team is planning an immigration raid in Chicago to begin on Tuesday morning, citing four sources familiar with the planning. Between 100 and 200 officers will be there to carry out the operation, which will last all week, the Journal reported. 

Trump's incoming border czar Tom Homan promised large-scale raids as part of Trump's crackdown on immigration.

"We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens, that’s what’s going to happen," Homan said Friday on Fox News' "Jesse Waters Primetime." "What we’re telling ICE: You’re going to go enforce the immigration law without apology. You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem."

"There are going to be big raids all across the country," Homan continued. "Chicago is just one in many places. If we got 24 field offices across the country on Tuesday, you can expect ICE." 

WATCH:

While there are key sanctuary cities that are intent on dissuading Trump's policy plan, there are pockets of cities and states intent on assisting Trump.

In Colorado, Douglas County's board of commissioners approved a resolution in support of Trump’s mass deportation plan. The unanimous vote confirmed the county, which is neighboring the sanctuary city of Denver, as a "non-sanctuary county."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

"We are going to follow and adhere to federal immigration law," Douglas County Chairperson Abe Laydon told Fox News Digital. "We will continue to support the U.S. Constitution and follow federal immigration law."

"We want to empower our local law enforcement, our sheriff's office, and communicate with federal immigration officials, to get information and keep people safe in our community," he said. "The three of us, as the board of county commissioners, are going to hold the line in Douglas County and ensure that our community stays safe."

In the border state of Texas, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham offered the administration a tract of more than 1,400 acres to stage its mass deportation operation.

Her letter to Trump, obtained by Fox News Digital, says her office is "fully prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the United States Border Patrol to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor's offices in Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago and Denver.

Fox News' Michael Dorgan and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

New York to open massive new 2,200-bed migrant shelter for single men in the Bronx

15 January 2025 at 15:08

After New York Mayor Eric Adams announced the planned opening of a massive, 2,000-bed migrant shelter in the South Bronx, Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres slammed the decision, accusing Adams of treating the borough as an immigrant "dumping ground."

The mayor's office responded to Torres' accusation by pointing out that despite the new shelter being opened, they are planning to close 46 migrant shelters across the city and reduce the total shelter bed count by 10,000 by June. She noted that the Hall Street shelter in Brooklyn, one of the largest shelters being closed, housed 3,500 migrants. 

The office announced the new shelter last week while simultaneously claiming that the ongoing migrant crisis in New York City is waning. 

This comes as New York is set to close its sprawling tent shelter on Randalls Island and dozens of other shelters in the next few months. New York is a migrant sanctuary city and has a "right to shelter" law that requires the city to accommodate anyone seeking shelter who has no other option. However, in recent months, Adams has taken a different tone toward immigrants in the city and announced the closure of a string of migrant shelters. In last week's statement, Adams said the closures are part of the city’s efforts to find "more opportunities to save taxpayer money and turn the page on this unprecedented humanitarian crisis."

"Thanks to the administration’s successful asylum seeker management strategies and federal border policy changes the city advocated for that have continued to drive down the number of people in the city’s care for 27 straight weeks and reduce costs by nearly $2.8 billion over three fiscal years," the mayor's office said. 

TRUMP BORDER CZAR MEETING WITH NYC MAYOR ADAMS DESPITE SANCTUARY CITY STATUS

Meanwhile, the New York Post reported that it will cost the city between $250,000 and $340,000 to retrofit and prepare a 275,000-square-foot former office building in the Bronx to accommodate the expected thousands of men who will live in the new migrant shelter.  

The shelter’s location – 825 E. 141st St. – was renovated in 2017 and is near an infamous section of the Bronx called "the Hub," which is known for having a high volume of open drug use and activity, including the use of heroin and fentanyl. The building is owned by SoBro Local Development Corp., a nonprofit that’s stated mission is to "enhance the quality of life in the South Bronx by strengthening businesses and creating and implementing innovative economic, housing, educational, and career development programs for youth and adults."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Adams’ announcement was not taken well by many Bronx residents. Many of the migrant shelters in the city have earned reputations as centers for violence, crime and gang activity from the likes of the international criminal group Tren de Aragua. The New York Post reported one 21-year-old Bronx resident named Serene Bilal saying: "Wrong move!… You need to work with the people already here. We have issues going on. Why the Bronx? Why pick on the Bronx?

"It’s going to be dangerous," Bilal told the outlet. "We don’t know who these people are. We are not talking about 10 people. We’re talking about thousands. That’s a lot."

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS MAKE UP 75% OF ARRESTS IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, SAY POLICE: REPORT

Torres, who is rumored to be considering a run for New York governor, also slammed the decision to place the new shelter in the Bronx.

"Instead of decisively dismantling open-air drug markets in the Hub, the City is treating the South Bronx as a dumping ground for an endless stream of shelters," Torres told Fox News Digital.

"The Bronx is treated differently from the rest of the city," he went on. "We are treated as the second-class borough of New York City."

Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Adams, responded to Torres' criticisms by emphasizing that the overall number of shelters across the city and the tax burden on citizens is being significantly reduced. 

"I know that every elected official has specific people to speak to but we're really looking at it from a holistic lens," said Garcia. "The bigger picture here is we're closing 46 migrant sites, we are reducing our bed count by 10,000 beds across the city, not just the Bronx. And we're specifically closing shelters that are in oversaturated areas." 

She noted that the city's migrant shelter system was never meant to be permanent and noted the new Bronx shelter is also a temporary measure. 

In response to a question about when the Bronx shelter will close, Garcia said: "We don't have a specific timeline as to when it will close. It's a lease, so it won't be forever." 

She said that it will depend on the next migrant census taken by the city.

"For the past over six months now, we've seen a decline in our [migrant] census numbers. So if that continues, obviously there's not going to be a need for it," she said. "So, at some point it will close in the near future. It's just we still need places to put people while we have to help them take their next steps."

Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 

Blue state county ignores ICE detainers against illegal immigrant charged with rape

13 January 2025 at 16:12

Boston ICE agents had to arrest a Brazilian illegal immigrant charged with rape and extortion twice because of sanctuary policies in the state of Massachusetts.

An ICE statement published last week said that Boston Enforcement and Removal Operations officials arrested 29-year-old Agnaldo Moreira da Cruz, for the second time in December.

This came after officials in Barnstable County, in Massachusetts’ Cape Cod, twice ignored ICE detainer requests against Moreira da Cruz.

MAJOR BLUE CITY MAYOR SILENT AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT USES SHELTER FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

According to the ICE statement, the Barnstable County Superior Court not only ignored their detainer requests but also violated the terms of their own agreement by refusing to return Moreira da Cruz to ICE, after obtaining him through a "writ of habeas corpus."

Moreira da Cruz was originally arrested in August 2023 by police in Yarmouth. He was arraigned in December 2023 and held at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility, which is run by the Barnstable Sheriff’s Office, until he was released on June 18, 2024, despite there being an ICE detainer against him. 

ICE tracked down and arrested Moreira da Cruz several months later on Oct. 16 and, after receiving a habeas corpus request, had to again turn him over to the Barnstable Superior Court on Nov. 27. The court then ignored the ICE detainer and released him on Dec. 5.

Moreira da Cruz is charged with a series of violent felonies, including rape and extortion with threat of injury.

BLUE STATE GOV CHANGES TUNE AFTER VOWING TO FIGHT TRUMP DEPORTATION EFFORTS, NOW HOPES HE FIXES BORDER

"This is not someone you want to release into the community, but twice now our detainers have been ignored," said ICE. "These decisions have repeatedly put the citizens of Massachusetts at risk of being victimized by an alleged dangerous offender."

Asked why the ICE detainer was not honored, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Trial Court sent Fox News Digital a copy of the policy followed by the court, which is based on a precedent set by a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling called "Lunn vs. Commonwealth."

The policy stipulates that Trial Court employees "do not have authority to detain an individual based solely" on ICE detainers and those immigrants subject to these requests "shall be processed and handled in the same way that all other individuals coming before the court are processed and handled."

The policy also states that no court officer or employee may "call or otherwise initiate communication with any ICE official" to notify them that an immigrant is in court custody and that "no ICE official shall be permitted to take an individual into custody pursuant to a civil immigration detainer in a courtroom."

ICE NABS ILLEGAL MIGRANT ACCUSED OF HEINOUS CRIME AND RELEASED BY MASSACHUSETTS SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Barnstable Sheriff Donna Buckley told Fox News Digital that Lunn vs. Commonwealth makes it so that "it is unlawful for state and local law enforcement agencies to arrest or detain people solely on the basis of an ICE detainer, beyond the time that the individual would otherwise be entitled to be released from State custody."

"The Massachusetts sheriffs operate within the scope and parameters of federal, state and local laws and regulations," said Buckley. "As such, the sheriffs are bound to follow the law of the Commonwealth, and therefore cannot hold an individual based on an ICE detention request alone, if that incarcerated individual is not subject to separate judicially issued detention orders."

"The sheriffs do not make the law. The sheriffs enforce the law," she added.

DEM GOVERNOR THREATENS TO USE 'EVERY TOOL' TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP-ERA DEPORTATIONS

Meanwhile, Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and law and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital, though the Massachusetts courts have the final say in instances such as this, "it's important to note that's not necessarily the final word."

"Immigration is the ultimate federal issue," said Arthur. "When states interpose themselves in that process, they're really getting into an area in which they have no expertise based upon anecdote and speculation."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

He noted that states and localities receive billions of dollars in federal funding every year, which can be made dependent on complying with federal immigration authorities.

"On the one hand, they're demanding money from the federal government, and on the other hand, they're telling the federal government that they won't assist them in a key government duty," he said. "Congress can always place any conditions that they want on funding, and this is a reasonable condition for them to put in place."

ICE ARRESTS ALLEGED CHILD SEX PREDATOR, MS-13 GANG MEMBER IN MASSACHUSETTS

Arthur said that he anticipates the Trump administration and incoming border czar Tom Homan will move quickly to push Congress to put such stipulations in place.

"The biggest issue with this is that it places ICE enforcement and removal officers in great danger because, rather than taking custody of a criminal in a secure location, a local jail or a state prison, they have to actually go out on the street. They have to find that person at their house, and that puts their lives at danger," he explained. "It's also important to note this is a community safety issue."

"If we really want to keep our streets safe," he went on, "the best way to do that is to take the criminals off the street. And really, that's what should be happening, and I anticipate you will see a movement, particularly under a second Trump administration, to make that happen."

Despite the actions by Barnstable County officials, Moreira da Cruz is currently in ICE custody, pending immigration and criminal proceedings.

Major blue city mayor silent after illegal immigrant uses shelter for criminal activity

13 January 2025 at 07:51

Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu is keeping silent after an illegal immigrant was caught using a taxpayer-funded migrant shelter in the Boston suburbs for criminal activity, including storing a weapon and nearly $1 million worth of drugs.

Wu failed to respond to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital, despite the migrant shelter involved being just a short drive from Downtown Boston.

Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, is facing criminal charges in federal court for illegally possessing an AR-15 and ammunition and over 400 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

Boston 25 News also reported that Sanchez was also caught possessing cocaine with "an estimated street value of at least $750,000." He is currently being kept in custody by state authorities.

BLUE STATE GOV CHANGES TUNE AFTER VOWING TO FIGHT TRUMP DEPORTATION EFFORTS, NOW HOPES HE FIXES BORDER

Sanchez was storing his weapon and drugs in his room at the Quality Inn Hotel in Revere, Massachusetts, which is a government-funded shelter for migrants.  

Boston and Massachusetts both have sanctuary policies in place and both Wu and Governor Maure Healey have vowed to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration.

Despite this, Healey expressed anger over the incident, saying, "It’s outrageous that this individual took advantage of our shelter system to engage in criminal activity."

Healey ordered an inspection of all shelters, starting with the Quality Inn Hotel in Revere, as well as a "full review" of the state’s shelter intake processes.

SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY BELIEVE TRUMP WILL 'CONTROL ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION': POLL

"This further underscores our broken federal immigration system and the urgent need for Congress and the White House to act on a border security bill to prevent criminals from entering our communities," said Healey. "The people of Massachusetts should not continue to have to deal with the impacts of federal inaction."  

However, Wu, who has said Boston’s sanctuary policies "make everyone safer," has remained silent. Although Fox News Digital spoke with Wu’s office, neither she nor her office have issued any response to Sanchez’s arrest. 

Since Trump’s 2024 electoral victory, Wu has doubled down on Boston’s sanctuary city status, saying police and city officials would not assist federal authorities with deportations.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has seen a recent spike in illegal immigrants arrested for sex crimes in the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.

Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan has called out Wu for pledging resistance to the administration’s immigration agenda, telling Newsmax in November that "she’s not very smart."

"President Trump is going to prioritize public safety threats," said Homan. "What mayor or governor doesn’t want public safety threats out of their communities? I mean that’s your number one responsibility is to protect your communities and that’s exactly what we’re going to do."

LA suburb doubles down on sanctuary city policies as neighboring city burns

9 January 2025 at 14:21

As whole neighborhoods in Los Angeles burn to the ground, city council members in nearby Long Beach voted to double down on their sanctuary city policies, vowing to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations.

Long Beach joins an ever-growing list of Democrat-controlled cities and states vowing to resist the Trump administration's plans to crack down on illegal immigration. Among other provisions, the measure allocates an additional $200,000 in city funding to give immigrants facing deportation free legal representation.

Local outlet the Long Beach Post reported that the council voted on Tuesday to further strengthen the "Long Beach Values Act," originally passed during the first Trump presidency in 2017. 

PHOTO GALLERY: CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES BEFORE AND AFTER

Speaking before the vote, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, a Democrat, said: "Today, we find ourselves preparing for again an administration that outwardly challenged some of our values and beliefs."

"It’s going to be a challenge – these next few years – but I’m confident, if we continue to work together, continue to support one another, we’re going to get through this," said Richardson. "No matter who is in power in Washington, I believe that we have a responsibility to stand firm on our principles, so all of our residents feel safe and seen and protected regardless of how they pray, or who they love or where they were born."

The $200,000 in extra funding adds to an already-existing $1.1 million available to immigrants for legal representation against removal through the "Long Beach Justice Fund."

The measure also prohibits third-party city contractors from sharing city data with federal immigration enforcement and requests that other city authorities – including police oversight, the city attorney, city prosecutor and city auditor – formally commit to complying with the Long Beach Values Act.

AMERICANS FAVOR TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION, SUPPORT MASS DEPORTATION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, POLL FINDS

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The measure’s passage was celebrated by local immigrant rights activist group Órale, which called it a "significant step towards true sanctuary status that will tangibly improve our community members' lives."

While Richardson projected confidence in resisting Trump’s agenda, the Long Beach Post reported that a Dec. 31 memo by Deputy City Manager Meredith Reynolds to city officials warned that Long Beach stands to lose millions in federal funding if they do not cooperate with immigration authorities.

Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in November that local officials who obstruct ICE or federal authorities from enforcing the law will face consequences.

"Don’t cross that line because it is a felony to harbor and conceal an illegal alien from ICE," said Homan.   

‘Guardian Angels’ founder slams New York sanctuary city policies after woman set on fire

30 December 2024 at 16:28

After announcing his citizen law enforcement group, the "Guardian Angels," would be returning to patrol the New York subway, Curtis Sliwa is pushing back against New York Mayor Eric Adams and slamming the city’s migrant sanctuary policies, saying: "We’re in a crime crisis." 

Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be resuming safety patrols on New York subway trains after a woman was burned to death on the New York City subway during Christmas week. The New York Post reported Sliwa saying the group would resume its patrols of the subway, walking up and down the inside of the trains "day and night."

The Guardian Angels founder called the brutal subway murder the "deadly consequences of NYC remaining a sanctuary city."  

"We have 56,000 migrants identified as criminals by ICE roaming our streets, and vulnerable homeless folks left sleeping on our subways because shelters are filled and dangerous," he said on X. "But Adams and City Hall pretend the city is safe and under control! While everyday New Yorkers see disturbing crime right before our eyes every single day!"

CRITICS SPECULATE WHY BYSTANDERS FAILED TO SAVE WOMAN BURNING ON NYC SUBWAY: 'DANIEL PENNY FACTOR' | FOX NEWS VIDEO

Recognizable by their distinctive red berets and jackets, Sliwa founded the Guardian Angels in 1979, and the group became a regular presence on the subway during many of the city’s most crime and homicide-ridden years. 

Currently, murders on the New York City subway are up by 60%, according to the New York Post. The outlet reported in September that eight people had been killed on subway trains in New York City, up from five during the same period in 2023.

After last week’s brutal killing, Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be making a return to the New York subway and beefing up its presence on trains throughout the city. He said group members would be conducting wellness checks on homeless individuals and alerting police and subway authorities when there are problems.

"We’re going to have to increase our numbers, increase the training and increase our presence as we did back in 1979," said Sliwa. "We went from 13 to 1,000 back then within a period of a year. Because the need was there. The need is here now once again. We’re going to step up. We’re going to make sure we have a visual presence just like we had in the ’70s, 80’s and ’90s."

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF BURNING WOMAN TO DEATH ON NYC SUBWAY IS PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

Despite this, Adams’ office slammed the Guardian Angels’ announcement.

Kayla Mamelak Altus, a representative for Adams, told Fox News Digital that the mayor has "surged 1,000 police officers per day into the subways, has brought down overall crime, and transit crime, delivering real action — not theatrics."

"Mayor Adams is committed to improving the lives of New Yorkers, which is why he frequently rides the subway to speak directly with everyday riders about how we can make it safer," said Altus. 

"But he knows there’s still more work to be done," Altus added. "Unlike others who only seek attention with meaningless stunts, Mayor Adams remains focused on real solutions."

MAYOR ADAMS CALLS FOR THE 'INVOLUNTARY REMOVAL' OF PEOPLE WHO ARE 'A DANGER TO OTHERS' ON THE STREETS

In response, Sliwa urged Adams to station more police officers in the subway and challenged the mayor to join him in doing regular daily patrols on the subway to see how bad the problems have gotten since the surge in migrants in the city. 

"Head into the subway and patrol yourself," Sliwa said, speaking directly to Adams. "I'll match him. I go four hours a day, even with my busy schedule. The mayor has a busy schedule. He can run one patrol with his police. I'll run a patrol with the Guardian Angels. That’s two more patrols we will have that we didn't have before." 

"We're in a crime crisis, and the mayor should be happy to accept anybody's help at this time," he told Fox News Digital. "So, if we're willing to patrol on the subways where it's desperately needed in the cars as they're moving, why would the mayor or anyone say it's theatrics?"

"The mayor and the governor have not met their primary responsibility, which is to provide public safety to the people in the subway," he went on. "So, if you're unwilling to do the job or maybe you can't and won't admit it, they should be welcoming all the help they can get from an organization that is renowned for 46 years of service to New Yorkers, asking nothing in return." 

DR. PHIL WITNESSES TENSE HOMELESS ALTERCATION WHILE TOURING SUBWAY WITH MAYOR ADAMS

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He said that most of the attacks are being carried out by "emotionally disturbed people" who live in the subways. 

"These attacks can occur anytime, anywhere, any place, to anybody, in any part of this city, and especially the subway," he explained. "Shame on us for letting that happen. We need to rescue these people and get them mental health care. Shame on the fact that the mayor spent billions of our tax dollars housing migrants, but not our own citizens who live in the subways. The subway trains have become moving hotels.

"If the mayor was doing a good job… nobody would be asking for the Guardian Angels to patrol the subways," he added. "The people want police, and if they don't have police, they're more than happy to accept the service of the volunteer Guardian Angels."

Oregon AG creates sanctuary ‘toolkit’ ahead of likely Trump-Homan illegal immigration crackdown

26 December 2024 at 03:00

Oregon’s top law enforcement officer rolled out what she called bilingual "Sanctuary Promise Community Toolkit" to help residents refresh their knowledge of the Beaver State’s relevant laws.

"Every person has the right to live, work, play, and learn safely in Oregon, period," Oregon Democratic Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a statement announcing the toolkit.

In 1987, Oregon lawmakers passed then-Rep. Rocky Barilla’s HB 2314 in response to several raids by INS – the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service, which transformed into USCIS, DHS and ICE in 2003.

The law is largely considered the first "sanctuary state" policy in the country.

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Rosenblum explicitly acknowledged Oregon’s place in that regard, noting the law prohibits state and local law enforcement resources from being used to apprehend suspects charged solely with being present in the U.S. without papers.

A press release from the attorney general’s office noted Barilla’s bill passed "nearly unanimously" in 1987 but that by 2024, sanctuary laws have become an "intensely partisan issue."

"I asked my Civil Rights Unit here at the Oregon DOJ to do whatever we could to provide the people, businesses, and local governments of our state with easy-to-read materials to help them know their rights and educate others, and I’m so pleased with what they’ve put together," Rosenblum said in her statement.

In the toolkit, documents relating to the 1987 law’s passage are available for easy public consumption, along with a "conversation" with figures involved in getting the law passed.

The toolkit includes several FAQs, including "how do I prepare myself and my family for encounters with ICE or other federal immigration authorities?" – "Is there a place I can call to report ICE or other federal immigration authorities active right now in my community?" and "After an encounter with ICE or other federal immigration authorities, what information should I write down?"

Oregon also hosts a statewide "hotline" to report sanctuary law violations.

There are also links to press coverage, as well as a separate "law enforcement bias response" toolkit.

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Rosenblum said she also recommends Oregonians discuss the issue with family in the next few weeks to "know your rights… and make a plan for what to do if immigration officials come to your home or place of business."

"Knowing your rights in advance is essential," she said.

President-elect Trump tapped former ICE Director Thomas Homan as his "border czar" – succeeding Vice President Kamala Harris.

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Homan has pledged a no-holds-barred crackdown on immigration law violators and illegal immigrants.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek for comment.

Tren de Aragua gang members arrested in NYC apartment next to daycare facility

20 December 2024 at 13:55

Several suspected members of the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua (TdA) were busted hiding out in a New York City apartment building located next to a daycare center, a law enforcement source tells Fox News, underlining how the gang has immersed itself among the general population in the sanctuary city. 

The New York Post was first to report on the Bronx bust with the publication reporting that seven suspected members of TdA – which has been terrorizing cities across the nation following – were arrested inside the apartment building and were sought on multiple warrants after crossing the US border with Mexico. 

The raid on the Bronx five-story apartment building, which is located next to the Doña Juana Day Care facility, took place on Dec. 5 and was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the NYPD's federal task force, a law enforcement source tells Fox News. A separate raid took place in Brooklyn with 22 suspected members of the gang scooped up in both raids. 

A worker at the daycare center tells Fox News Digital that there were children inside the facility when the raid took place. 

VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS LINKED TO VIOLENT APARTMENT TAKEOVER ARRESTED IN NEW YORK CITY

The vicious gang has taken advantage of a lax southern border under the Biden-Harris administration, with many of its foot soldiers swarming the U.S. and unleashing hell on unsuspecting communities. The gang has been engaged in all sorts of violent crime, including murders, shootings of police officers, assaults, robberies and gun smuggling into migrant shelters.

The alleged gangbangers were traced to the Bronx apartment after tracking the ankle monitor of suspected TdA member Jarwin Valero-Calderon to the hideout on the edge of Crotona Park, sources told The Post. Crotona Park is where President-elect Trump held a campaign rally in May

The NYPD confirmed to Fox News that Valero-Calderon was one of those who was taken into custody on Dec. 5 on a federal arrest warrant. 

According to the Post, Valero-Calderon entered the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas, in August 2022 and was released with a court date. In the meantime, he racked up a long rap sheet in multiple states before being ordered deported in April but was still on the loose on Dec. 5, the Post reports, citing sources.

Valero-Calderon reported to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New York City in September 2022 but then went on his crime spree.

VENEZUELAN MIGRANT GANG TREN DE ARAGUA NOW OPERATING IN 16 STATES: REPORT

He was twice busted on larceny charges in New York and New Jersey with a conviction in June 2023. He was also arrested on a separate petty larceny conviction in Nassau County on April 24, 2023, before being arrested in Florida in February for fraud, larceny and resisting arrest, according to the Post.

Other suspected TdA members arrested in the raid, according to the Post, include Angel Gabriel Marquez Rodriguez, 19, who was arrested in Chicago last year on a shoplifting charge then four months later was busted on larceny charges in New York City and again three months later.

Jhonaiker Alexander Gil Cardozo, 24, was also arrested by the NYPD on grand larceny and stolen property charges back in July and had two other Big Apple busts in June for reckless endangerment and robbery but was left out on the streets.

Last week, New York City Mayor Adams sat down with incoming border czar Tom Homan and agreed to work with the new Trump administration in weeding out migrant criminals in the city. It was met with pushback by some Democrats.

News of the raids was welcomed by New York City Council Member Joe Borelli of Staten Island. 

"This is a gang that set up camp in our city, and it is beyond the pale that the Democratic Party is entrenched against having the NYPD cooperate with ICE to remove them," Borelli told Fox News Digital. "They are actively recruiting members among the migrant community and unfortunately, spend most of their time terrorizing those very same people."

"Mayor Adams should use every resource available to end the city law that precludes the NYPD from cooperating with ICE because it is specific groups like this that make me question the sanity of people who seek to protect them and ensure they remain here."

Those comments were echoed by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. who told "Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street" that Democrats have been weakening laws to allow for illegal immigrants, gangs and criminal organizations to stay within New York and "wreak havoc."

"It's good news that we're hearing Eric Adams change tune, but quite frankly, he has the ability right now under existing law to cooperate with Ice detainer requests for people who are hardened criminals for violent offenders, for sex offenders," Malliotakas said. 

Late last month, two members of the violent gang who participated in a caught-on-camera-armed apartment invasion in Aurora, Colorado, were captured in New York City. 

Denyeer Aramillo Meneses, 23, and Edison Pena Angulo, 25, both pictured in the viral video, were nabbed in the Bronx by an NYPD gang task force and Homeland Security in a major credit card scam and drug trafficking bust.

Fifteen suspected members of the notorious gang were picked up after a six-month investigation into the gang’s crimes that led to a drug ring, sources told the New York Post

Fox News’ Christina Coulter contributed to this report.

ICE nabs several migrants convicted of child molestation, one convicted murderer, in blue state suburbs

19 December 2024 at 14:42

EXCLUSIVE – Baltimore ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officials on Thursday arrested eight migrants, including four convicted of child molestation and one murderer, in suburban Maryland. 

The arrests happened during an exclusive Fox News ride-along with the government agency. 

One of the migrants apprehended was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor and exposing himself in public several times. Another migrant, from the Philippines, was previously convicted of molesting a 10-year-old girl.

According to ICE, the one migrant convicted of murder was living in the U.S. on a permanent visa status.

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"The people we are out for are the worst of the worst," Baltimore field office Director Matthew Elliston told Fox News' David Spunt. "It's not the average person who is in the country illegally. If we are targeting you, there is a reason."

The goal is simple for the Baltimore ICE Field Office: arrest and then deport as many illegal migrants with criminal records as possible. ICE agents’ goal at the start of the day was to capture eight targets, and all eight targets are now in custody.

Now all eight of those migrants are behind bars and await hearings in front of immigration judges and potential deportation.

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According to ICE data obtained by the House Homeland Security Committee in September, there are at least 650,000 criminal illegal immigrants on the agency’s "non-detained docket," meaning they are free in the U.S. interior. Of those, 14,944 are murderers and over 20,000 have been convicted of sexual assault.

Although not officially a sanctuary state, Maryland, which is led by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and a majority Democratic state assembly, is considered immigrant friendly. The city of Baltimore, meanwhile, has an official policy that does not allow law enforcement to ask residents about their immigration status.

ICE data indicates that Baltimore ERO arrested 570 migrants with either a criminal conviction or a pending criminal charge in fiscal year 2024.

Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times

20 December 2024 at 06:00

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in New York arrested a Mexican-born illegal immigrant who sexually abused a child after being removed from the country five times.

According to ICE, the criminal immigrant, 36-year-old Raymond Rojas Basilio, sexually abused an 11-year-old child in the U.S.

Rojas committed this crime after being removed from the country five times and then re-entering once again on an unknown date and at an unknown location, without admission by an immigration official.

The New York Police Department arrested Rojas on Aug. 28, 2023. He was then convicted of forcible touching of the intimate parts of an 11-year-old victim by the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Sept. 20, 2024. The court sentenced him to 60 days of incarceration and six years’ probation and required him to register as a sex offender.

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New York ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents then arrested Rojas outside his residence in Queens on Dec. 17.

U.S. Border Patrol first arrested Rojas, following three separate attempts to unlawfully enter the U.S. near Douglas, Arizona, in May 2002.

Border protection officials then arrested Rojas again on Jan. 6, 2012, at Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, when he attempted to enter the country using a fake Arizona Driver's License and U.S. birth certificate. Just days later, on Jan. 11, border authorities again removed Rojas after he attempted to enter the country using fraudulent documents at another port of entry in Nogales.   

New York ICE Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo commented on the arrest, saying: "This criminal has repeatedly shown he has absolutely no regard for our nation’s laws, as evidenced by his repeated attempts to unlawfully or fraudulently enter the United States."

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"As this case illustrates, it only takes one successful unlawful entry to do irreparable harm to a member of our community," he continued.

He said that local "non-cooperation policies" in place had prevented ICE from taking immediate custody of Rojas following his sentencing by the Brooklyn court. 

"However, due to the diligence of our officers, ERO New York City was able to rapidly apprehend this public safety threat before he could harm any other New Yorkers," said Genalo.

According to the statement, Rojas is currently in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico. 

California county votes to ramp up sanctuary policies ahead of Trump deportation push: ‘Radical policy’

10 December 2024 at 17:46

San Diego County has voted to further block county cooperation with federal immigration authorities ahead of an expected deportation push by the incoming Trump administration next year – a move quickly slammed by a top local Republican.

The resolution goes further than California’s existing ‘sanctuary’ law, which generally limits law enforcement's cooperation with ICE. The vote was approved in a 3-1 vote by San Diego County’s board of supervisors.

The resolution says that the county will not provide assistance or cooperation to ICE "including by giving ICE agents access to individuals or allowing them to use County facilities for investigative interviews or other purposes, expending County time or resources responding to ICE inquiries or communicating with ICE regarding individuals’ incarceration status or release dates, or otherwise participating in any civil immigration enforcement activities."

BLUE STATE COUNTY TEES UP VOTE ON ‘KNEE-JERK’ RESOLUTION TO PROTECT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM DEPORTATION

When ICE is aware of a suspected illegal immigrant in local or state custody, it will lodge a detainer with law enforcement, typically requesting that the agency is notified ahead of their release and in some cases held until ICE can take custody of them.

ICE says this helps detain illegal immigrants without having to go into communities and gets illegal immigrant offenders off the streets. Sanctuary proponents say that such policies chill cooperation between law enforcement and otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants.

"When federal immigration authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Border Patrol, coerce local law enforcement to carry out deportations, family members are separated and community trust in law enforcement and local government is destroyed," an overview of the resolution claims. "Witnesses and victims who are undocumented or who have loved ones who are undocumented are afraid to come to the County for help, which includes calling local law enforcement. This puts the public safety of all San Diegans at risk."

ANOTHER MAJOR BLUE CITY DOUBLES DOWN ON VOW TO OBSTRUCT TRUMP'S MASS DEPORTATION PLAN

The vote comes just over a month before President-elect Trump will be sworn into office. He has pledged to launch a "historic" mass deportation operation once in office to remove millions of illegal immigrants from the country.

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas said that California’s current sanctuary laws restricting ICE deportations don’t go far enough.

"While the California Values Act significantly expanded protection from deportation to California residents, it fell short of protecting all residents, because it allowed agencies to still notify ICE of release dates and transfers individuals to ICE without a warrant in some circumstances," she said.

The resolution echoes a similar policy enacted in 2019 by Santa Clara County. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Republican who provided the sole nay vote on the resolution, slammed the passage of the law. He previously told Fox News Digital that the move was part of an effort by some Democrats to "Trump-proof" the state.

On Tuesday he said the vote is a "direct betrayal of the people we are sworn to protect." 

"This reckless measure not only goes far beyond California's already extreme Sanctuary State laws but actively endangers our communities by shielding illegal immigrant criminals from deportation. Consider this: under this policy, law enforcement is prohibited from notifying ICE about individuals, in custody, who have committed violent and heinous crimes, including: Rape and stalking, Assault and battery, Burglary, Child abuse and more," he said.

He said he has already been in touch with members of the incoming Trump administration and "will fight relentlessly to undo this disastrous policy and ensure that illegal immigrant criminals are removed from our neighborhoods."

'We’ve turned the corner': Blue city announces shuttering of migrant shelters as numbers drop

10 December 2024 at 11:32

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday the shutting down of dozens more migrant shelters, as the "sanctuary" city continues to see a drop in arrivals and as Adams continues to take a hawkish stance on illegal immigration.

Adams announced that 25 shelters are being closed in the next few months. The locations include the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Shelters are also slated to close outside of New York City in Albany, Buffalo and Poughkeepsie. 

The blue city has seen more than 225,000 migrants arrive since 2022, a surge that coincided with a spike at the southern border and also a strategy by Texas to bus migrants to cities like New York City to relieve pressure on the border state.

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Now, his administration says there has been a 22-week drop in migrant arrivals into the city, allowing for the closure of many of the shelters used to house the influx.

Adams, who has been deeply critical of the federal government’s handling of the migrant crisis, linked the drop in numbers to executive orders by the Biden administration that have limited the ability to claim asylum in the U.S. and have been tied to a sharp drop in apprehensions at the border itself. 

He also linked it to strategies taken by the city itself to help relocate migrants, including reticketing and case management.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

"Thanks to our smart management strategies, we’ve turned the corner, and this additional slate of shelter closures we’re announcing today is even more proof that we’re managing this crisis better than any other city in the nation," Adams said in a statement. "Our intensive case management, paired with 30- and 60-day policies, have helped more than 170,000 migrants take their next steps on their journeys, because migrants don’t come here to live in our shelter system — they come here to pursue the American Dream." 

"We’re going to continue looking for more sites to consolidate and close, and more opportunities to save taxpayer money, as we continue to successfully manage this response," he said.

Adams has taken a more muscular approach to illegal immigration than some of his Democratic counterparts in other blue cities across the country, some of whom have promised resistance to the plan by the incoming Trump administration.

TRUMP BORDER CZAR HOMAN SAYS HE'LL MEET WITH NYC MAYOR ADAMS TO ADDRESS MIGRANT CRISIS: LETS ‘GET THIS DONE’ 

While he has stressed the importance of work authorization, case management and protection from deportation for some, he has expressed openness to working with the incoming Trump administration and border czar Thomas Homan on the deportation of illegal immigrants with criminal convictions.

"I would like to speak with our border czar and find out what his plans are. Where our common grounds are, we can work together. And I strongly believe, my history is sitting down with those across the aisle with different ways of thinking and sit down and share my ideas," he said last week. "I believe I have some ideas that could deal with this issue, and we can reach what the American people have been saying to us: secure our borders, address the people who are committing violent acts in our country and make sure that … our citizens are going to be safe."

Meanwhile, voters in the state of New York support the deportation of illegal immigrants, according to a new poll. The Siena College New York State Poll found that 54% of respondents say the state should support any Trump administration efforts to deport migrants living illegally in the state, compared to 35% of respondents who oppose the plans.

Strong support for President-elect Donald Trump's deportation plan was found throughout the state, including New York City.

Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

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