ICE Planning October Enforcement Operation in Notorious Sanctuary Cities

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning an immigration enforcement operation targeting three of the most notorious ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions in the country in the month of October, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The operation will target illegal aliens residing in the state of California and the cities of Denver and Philadelphia.

California is notably distinct in that the state itself has instituted sanctuary laws that bar any cooperation with the agency. Denver and Philadelphia also steadfastly refuse to release immigration offenders to ICE custody, in some cases releasing dangerous criminals from jail systems instead of handing them into federal custody.

When asked about tentative operations by Fox News, an ICE spokesperson confirmed that “every day as part of routine operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targets and arrests criminal aliens and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws.”

ICE arrested more than 2,000 illegal aliens throughout the country with identifiable criminal records during a summer sweep operation. Some had been convicted of violent crimes and sex offenses. While the immigration enforcement agency has traditionally prioritized arresting those convicted of additional crimes, the Trump administration has fought for a more comprehensive approach to immigration enforcement in which any illegal alien that violates immigration law could expect punitive sanction and deportation for their actions.

Joe Biden has confirmed as President that federal authorities would be restricted from deporting any illegal aliens except those convicted of an additional felony. This would represent a wholesale reversal of immigration law enforcement, and would essentially create a de facto open borders environment for the majority of aliens that have violated the nation’s immigration laws.

Mass-scale criminal human smuggling operations have picked up after halting during the coronavirus epidemic, with federal authorities arresting 242 illegal aliens in one Texas county alone last week.