A New York City congressman faced backlash from Republicans and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after stating that sanctuary cities hand over criminal illegal immigrants to federal authorities after they serve their sentences. This statement came during a discussion about the immigration system led by Rep. Daniel Goldman, who represents Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.
Goldman, a Democrat, addressed remarks made by Reps. Darrell Issa and Tom McClintock, both Republicans from California, during a legislative session focused on solidifying former President Donald Trump’s border security measures. He challenged his Republican colleagues to provide a case where a convicted individual was not handed to the Department of Homeland Security following a removable offense conviction.
Sanctuary cities, I ask you please cite one case where there was a criminal conviction, the defendant served his time and was convicted of a removable offense under the Immigration & Nationality Act of 1952 and he was not turned over by the city or the state to the Department of Homeland Security, Goldman stated.
This assertion was met with skepticism by Rep. Brad Knott, a Republican from North Carolina, who claimed experience with such cases in his state. He noted that a law had to be passed to counteract the discretion used in sanctuary jurisdictions.
Knott cited current situations in Fairfax County, Virginia, as evidence of non-cooperation by sanctuary jurisdictions following convictions.
According to DHS statistics shared with Fox News, since January, New York’s failure to uphold ICE detainers resulted in 6,947 criminally convicted illegal immigrants being released. This includes individuals involved in serious crimes such as homicides and drug offenses.
The crimes of these aliens include 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 dangerous drug offenses, 300 weapons offenses and 207 sexual predatory offenses, stated Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis.
Bis expressed that sanctuary politics were endangering public safety and could lead to more crimes and victims. The DHS highlighted about 7,000 illegal immigrants in New York with active detainer requests as of last winter.
Goldman criticized Rep. Issa’s comparison of modern immigration policies to those of Ellis Island, stating that no immigration laws or comprehensive databases existed at that time for background checks. He also mentioned the treatment of tuberculosis patients at Ellis Island.
The DHS provided examples to counter Goldman’s claims. This included cases of illegal immigrants being released despite ICE requests, such as a Dominican national in the Bronx and a Crips gang member with criminal charges.
Among other cases, DHS referenced Turkish national Selman Cevik, who appeared on the Known or Suspected Terrorist (KST) list and faced an ICE detainer. Despite this, he was released after his arrest, only to be later apprehended by ICE.