The Biden border crisis is over. The Trump administration has effectively shut down illegal immigration across the southern border, with both encounters and known got-aways plunging to negligible levels over the last six weeks. Congress must act to help enshrine strong policies and make this breathtaking progress sustainable, but for now, the incoming problem is largely solved. The outgoing challenge remains thorny, however, especially because so-called 'sanctuary' jurisdictions continue to interfere with the enforcement of our laws, while actively shielding illegal immigrants -- including those with criminal records, as we'll underscore below -- from accountability. As we saw during last week's Capitol Hill hearings, some of the politicians who run these places are totally unapologetic about the lawlessness they foster. That mentality, and the pro-illegal-immigration policies that flow from it, are aiding and abetting dangerous criminals who are unlawfully present inside the United States. If 'sanctuary' cities and states actually prioritized the safety of their citizens, and valued law and order, many violent crimes would never happen. And a law-abiding father of two in California would still be alive.
Bill Melugin has the enraging details of this case:
BREAKING: Per multiple law enforcement sources, the two men arrested by Inglewood PD yesterday for allegedly shooting & killing a man who tried to stop them from stealing his neighbor’s catalytic converter are both illegal aliens with extensive criminal histories, w/ each having… pic.twitter.com/cCH3boyZke
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 8, 2025
[The two suspects have] over a dozen arrests in Los Angeles County in recent years. I’m told ICE detainers on one suspect have been ignored 12 times in recent years. I'm told Wilber Alberto Rabanales (blue shirt) is a Guatemalan national who has been arrested at least 15 times in Los Angeles County in recent years on predominantly gun, grand theft, burglary, and drug charges. His rap sheet is 11 pages long. It includes numerous grand theft arrests, mostly for stealing catalytic converters, multiple DUIs, conspiracy, felon in possession of a gun, possession of burglary tools, possession of meth, possession of stolen property, and felony hit and run during police pursuit.
I’m told Jose Christian Saravia Sanchez (flower shirt) is a Salvadoran national who has been arrested at least a dozen times in Los Angeles County in recent years. His rap sheet is 6 pages long. It includes arrests for numerous grand thefts, concealed firearm in car, kidnapping, numerous possession of meth and possession of burglary tools. Mugshots provided by law enforcement source.The victim, Juan (Johnny) Sanchez, was killed last Tuesday when he heard a noise outside his home and confronted both suspects as they were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his neighbor’s car. He was shot in the chest, and part of the confrontation was caught on video. Sanchez leaves behind a wife and two children.
Felony after felony. These two racked up dozens of arrests in California, including for felonies like a hit and run during a police pursuit and kidnapping. Yet numerous ICE detainer requests were ignored on these men, per "sanctuary" requirements. Over and over again, the public safety was imperiled and laws were disregarded by these illegal immigrants -- and over and over again, the feds were denied the opportunity to remove these menaces from our country. And now Johnny Sanchez is dead, his wife is a widow, and his two children don't have a dad. If you can stomach it, there's video of the confrontation that led to this brazen killing, perpetrated by people who could not have made any clearer how little regard they have for American laws. They were indulged, protected and coddled at every turn, in the name of 'progress' and 'empathy.' This is sickening, but it should not have been inevitable:
This is surveillance video of the confrontation and shooting. The victim can be seen in the navy sweater. He initially tries to wave down a passing fire truck for help, before confronting the two men. I cut the video off right as the shot goes off, as the rest is very upsetting. pic.twitter.com/8yhrekpsRW
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 8, 2025
The Trump administration is right to go to proverbial war with these sanctuary jurisdictions:
I went to the Coney Island subway station where Debrina Kawam was set on fire and killed by an illegal alien.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) March 5, 2025
ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the NYC Department of Corrections to take this depraved alien into custody. Because of current sanctuary city policy, the… pic.twitter.com/jfJyKclDOx
I hope Border Czar Tom Homan is following through on his threat to double ICE resources in these places. If the locals are barred from helping detain and deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens, send in more feds. Congress must ensure that Homan has the resources he needs to get this job done. In case you missed it, I'l leave you with this quote from Biden's impeached former DHS chief:
NEW: Fmr DHS Sec Mayorkas speaks out about regrets over his handling of the border… unclear exactly what he means by a “decline in empiricism” but worth noting: raw data, stats and live footage of thousands of migrants illegally pouring across the border are about as empirical… pic.twitter.com/LgKyhWFjP4
— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) March 7, 2025
How's this for 'empiricism,' Alejandro?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data show that the number of encounters in February 2025 dropped to the lowest level in roughly 25 years:
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 3, 2025
February 2022: 166,010
February 2023: 156,630
February 2024: 189,913
February 2025: 8,326 pic.twitter.com/oTHrXG9I98
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