A criminal illegal alien accused of spitting on an Asian American family and holding them at gunpoint in an attempted robbery was protected four times from arrest and deportation by the sanctuary state of California, a new report reveals.

Carlos Claros, a 22-year-old illegal alien, was arrested in April after being caught on video footage allegedly trying to rob an Asian American family of 18 that was visiting San Francisco, California’s Fisherman’s Wharf from Wisconsin as part of a road trip across the state. The family included children as young as six.

According to those present at the scene, Claros and two other men walked up on the family wielding a gun in an attempt to rob them. At the time of the incident, Claros was out of jail on probation.

Patrick Elliot, a member of the family, said he stepped up to protect his family when he heard Claros tell another member of the family “Ugh you Asian” before spitting in their direction. When police responded, they followed Claros, where he allegedly threw the gun used in the attempted robbery under a vehicle.

In an exclusive report, Washington Times reporter Stephen Dinan revealed that California’s expansive sanctuary state law — shielding illegal aliens from arrest and deportation — helped keep Claros in the United States despite four requests by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to turn him over to their custody.

Dinan reports:

ICE placed its first detainer in October 2018 after Claros was convicted of battery and receiving stolen property, “but due to local sanctuary laws, the detainer was not honored,” the agency told The Times.

More detainers followed arrests or convictions in December 2018, February 2019 and April 2020. Each time San Francisco again declined to honor the fellow law enforcement agency’s request.

KGO-TV News reporter Dion Lim noted in April that Claros has an extensive criminal record including arrests for drugs, stealing a vehicle, and for being part of an armed robbery spree across a number of California neighborhoods in 2019.

Currently, Claros is facing charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, carrying a loaded firearm, resisting arrest, making criminal threats, and other crimes. Claros is expected to appear in court next month.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.