The Democrats' long history of open-borders policies at the federal level is upheld and enhanced by the local- and state-level sanctuary policies that have allowed millions of criminal illegal aliens to flow into our country. Under the Biden-Harris administration, more than eight million illegal aliens flooded the United States, including six million who were released at the border and two million "gotaways" who avoided being arrested entirely.

To help facilitate this invasion, state and local leaders often enact laws that prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. Allowing that cooperation means criminal illegal aliens would be moved into ICE custody and removed from our country. While these sanctuary cities and states provide a safe haven for criminals, they are dangerous places for law-abiding American citizens and law-abiding immigrants.

Today, the House Judiciary Committee has released an alarming report showing the dangerous consequences of the sanctuary policies in Arlington, Virginia. Like many sanctuary cities, Democrat and far-left prosecutors in Arlington provide illegal aliens with preferential treatment so they avoid immigration consequences.

For years, Arlington has obstructed federal immigration efforts with its sanctuary policies, and this report outlines the unfair, dangerous, and deadly consequences.

Arlington County Commonwealth's Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti treats illegal aliens differently than American citizens accused of similar crimes.

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According to the report, Dehghani-Tafti admitted that her office's written policies do not forbid the consideration of immigration status for any crime, regardless of the severity of said crime. Dehghani-Tafti also testified that there are cases where it's "appropriate" to consider the defendant's immigration status including cases of assault, domestic violence, certain cases with child victims, and even certain cases involving disarming a police officer.

When making prosecutorial decisions, Dehghani-Tafti said her office policy is to "fashion a resolution" or shift to a "lateral" charge for defendants who are Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients if they are charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) so that a DACA recipient does not lose his DACA status for that DWI conviction. This means foreign nationals are never convicted of DWI in Arlington County, based on their status as non-U.S. citizens.

Dehghani-Tafti also opposes immigration enforcement, calling the Laken Riley Act a "heinous bill" while asserting Riley's murder did not have "anything to do with illegal immigration. Riley was murdered by an illegal alien from Venezuela. He had been arrested and released in two sanctuary jurisdictions prior to murdering the 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia.

Arlington County also prohibits local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE, even in cases involving sex traffickers, felons, and terrorists — the worst of the worst. This means almost every ICE detainer lodged against a criminal illegal alien during the Trump administration has been ignored, allowing repeat and dangerous criminals back onto the streets. Arlington County policies actually require local law enforcement to release violent criminals back into the community instead of into ICE custody.

Between January 2025 and May of this year, that happened multiple times. This includes Ricardo Castro Ramirez, who was charged with assault on police, two counts of felony robbery by force, public intoxication, and destruction of property; Soukouly Mohammad Hashi, who has been arrested for various crimes three times in Arlington County, 19 times in Fairfax County, and has pending charges in Maryland; and Johslin Ariel Lopez-Rodas, who was charged with felony possession of a firearm, felony possession of a controlled substance, felony possession of a firearm while intoxicated, and driving while intoxicated.

Another illegal alien gang member with a 57-page criminal history, including multiple felony charges, was released from custody under Arlington policies, as was a criminal illegal alien charged with felony hit-and-run that led to injury or death.

The report notes that even ICE officials from the Biden-Harris administration criticized sanctuary policies for endangering the public and law enforcement.

"I mean, anyone being released back into the community that is, you know, a criminal or has these violent crimes or heinous crimes obviously poses a public safety threat being released into the community," said a former Biden-Harris administration ICE field officer director.

The Arlington County Board's Trust Policy, which restricts local law enforcement, prohibits not just cooperation with ICE, but even communication with the agency. Following President Trump's inauguration, the Arlington Board enacted those new restrictions, barring the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) "from initiating contact with federal immigration authorities" even when ACPD identifies an illegal alien as a violent felon, gang member, human trafficker, or terrorist.

The consequences of these policies are dangerous and devastating. On April 12 of this year, Luzvin Orvando Garcia Moran, a Guatemalan national, approached a woman, grabbed her, and shoved her against a wall before assaulting her. Two bystanders intervened and Garcia Moran was charged with abduction of a person with intent to defile, sodomy by force or victim helplessness, and assault in an alleged attempted rape. He had a yearslong criminal history including arrests for public intoxication, assault and battery, and probation violations. Dehghani-Tafti's office refused to fully prosecute Garcia Moran, and following a prosecution for disarming law enforcement — a felony — he was back on the streets within months thanks to a sweetheart deal.

An officer even warned Dheghani-Tafti's office that Garcia Moran would offend again, and called him "a danger to himself and others." During her deposition, Dheghani-Tafti refused to state clearly whether her office considered immigration consequences in previous cases involving Garcia Moran.

So while Democrats provide sanctuary for illegal aliens and shield them from consequences — even for the most violent, heinous crimes — Republicans and President Trump are working towards common sense solutions to secure our border, enforce federal immigration laws, and protect the American people. This includes the Committee's favorable report on H.R. 7640, the Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act, which would prohibit state and local policies that restrict cooperation with federal immigration officials, as well as protect cooperative jurisdictions from frivolous lawsuits by far-left sanctuary activists.