Joe Biden’s advisers see the polls on the issue, and they’re on the losing end of it if they don’t do something about illegal immigration. Despite what the progressive wing thinks, this is and never has been a slam-dunk issue for Democrats. Hispanic voters aren’t high on mass amnesty, nor are they overly warm about a pathway to citizenship for newly arrived illegal aliens.
Health care is where Democrats have an actual advantage over Republicans. Still, the spike in violent crime nationwide, especially at the hands of illegals, has forced the Biden White House to tell sanctuary cities it’s time for them to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (via Fox News):
The White House is calling for "sanctuary" cities and jurisdictions across the U.S. to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in turning over criminal illegal immigrants for deportation, just as there is renewed scrutiny over such policies in the wake of several high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants who had previously been released by local law enforcement despite pleas from ICE.
"We welcome local law enforcement’s support and cooperation in apprehending and removing individuals who pose a risk to national security or public safety," a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday in response to a question about its stance on sanctuary cities. "When a local jurisdiction has information about an individual who could pose a threat to public safety, we want them to share that information with ICE."
"Just since May 12, DHS has removed or returned more than 565,000 individuals — the vast majority of whom crossed the Southwest Border. 565,000 removals and returns is more than every full fiscal year since 2013," they said.
Sanctuary cities either limit or outright forbid law enforcement from honoring ICE detainers, which are requests from the agency that ICE be notified ahead of their release from state custody and allowed to transfer illegal immigrant criminals into custody. This week it was revealed by ICE that the alleged killer of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was previously arrested in New York City, but that he was released before ICE could issue a detainer.
Separately, there have been other alleged crimes committed by illegal immigrants, including an arrest in connection to the murder of a 2-year-old in Maryland, who had detainers lodged against them but were not honored by authorities. ICE announced this week the arrest and conviction of a Guatemalan illegal immigrant for the sexual assault of a child in Boston. He has been released despite ICE lodging a detainer against him.
The illegal alien at the center of the Laken Riley murder, Jose Antonio Ibarra, was also arrested on shoplifting charges in Athens, Georgia, last fall, where a bench warrant was issued last December when he failed to show up for his court date. Ibarra entered the United States in 2022, where Biden officials tried laughably to declare the border secure and closed. In the meantime, illegal aliens continue to victimize, assault, rape, and murder American citizens because of Biden’s immigration policy. Remember, this is the man in 2020 who said that illegals should surge the border.
Will this reversal do much good? We'll see. The president is bound to catch fire from his left flank, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a staunch opponent of immigration enforcement measures, being very vocal about this change in direction. In January, Mia wrote about New York City's refusal to honor ICE detainers.Biden visits the southern border today.