More than 125 criminal illegal aliens, including those convicted of murder, were arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency after the sanctuary state of California set them free.
In a sting from September 18 to October 3, known as Operation Rise, ICE agents arrested more than 125 illegal aliens across California, 95 percent of whom had criminal convictions or pending charges for crimes such as homicide, sexual assault, child sex crimes, aggravated assault, battery, domestic abuse, and firearms violations.
All of the illegal aliens had been released into American communities by California’s sanctuary policies that shield criminal illegal aliens from arrest and deportation. In each of the cases, ICE officials said they had requested that the illegal aliens be turned over to them.
Among those arrested in Operation Rise are:
A 40-year-old citizen and national of El Salvador arrested on Sept. 29 in Los Angeles and convicted by the Los Angeles Superior Court of first-degree murder in November 2009. Despite an immigration detainer lodged with the Los Angeles County Jail (LACJ), the jail declined to honor the detainer and instead released him into the community. He is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. [Emphasis added]
A 50-year-old citizen and national of Mexico arrested on Sept. 28, in Long Beach, California, and convicted by the Los Angeles Superior Court of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder in June 1994. Despite an immigration detainer lodged with the LACJ, the jail declined to honor the detainer and instead released him into the community. He had a final order of removal and was deported back to Mexico the same day. [Emphasis added]
“Our obligation to protect American citizens from illegal aliens who rape, murder, and otherwise commit violent crimes against our communities does not stop at the borders of a so-called sanctuary city,” Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf said in a news conference.
Most recently, as Breitbart News reported, Los Angeles County officials released illegal aliens back into the community after they had been convicted of murder, robbery, and terroristic threats. Other illegal aliens released by Los Angeles County included those who been charged with raping a minor and molesting a child.
ICE officials have previously said that Los Angeles releases up to 100 criminal illegal aliens every day. Likewise, federal immigration officials have said that 8-in-10 illegal aliens released by sanctuary jurisdictions like Los Angeles go on to commit additional crimes.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.