The Department of Justice on Monday announced a plan to crack down on California’s “sanctuary law” that prohibits law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials.
“Even the worst criminal aliens in state custody are frequently released into the community because California’s sanctuary state policies block cooperation with federal law enforcement,” said Bill Essayli, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, in a statement.
“These laws effectively render federal immigration detainers meaningless. The days of giving criminal illegal aliens a free pass are over. While California may be presently disregarding detainers, it cannot ignore federal arrest warrants.”
The task force is made up of assets from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Border Patrol.
Essayli told Fox News that DOJ is going to “flood the system with warrants for criminal illegal immigration that are in county jails, they can ignore a detainer, but they cannot ignore a criminal arrest warrant.
“As soon as an illegal immigrant is booked into a county jail, we’re reviewing their file. And if they meet the elements of illegal reentry, which is a federal crime, we are filing a complaint and getting an arrest warrant issued before they’re released from state custody,” he added.
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