There’s a reason why sanctuary jurisdictions are so unnecessarily dangerous. When they have criminals in custody who are to be removed from the country, they willfully put their citizens at risk by releasing them if they’re illegal immigrants. That’s the nature of sanctuary policies. They put the safety needs of the citizens behind the desire for freedom of criminal illegal aliens.
It makes no sense at all. The prevailing premise that sanctuary status allows law enforcement to work more closely with communities rife with illegal immigrants has been proven to be completely false. Conversely, crime rates in sanctuary jurisdictions have proven to go up once these obtuse policies are put into place. This should seem like a no-brainer; releasing criminals to the streets so they can continue to commit crimes while evading ICE is a certain path to higher crime rates. Yet, the desires of those who broke the law to be here in the first place is given primacy over the needs of legal citizens to be protected by law enforcement.
If law enforcement refuses to enforce the laws over misguided virtue signaling policies, citizens have no reason to feel safe.
ICE has been fighting back, not just against the illegal aliens they seek for deportation but also in the political and PR battle against sanctuary jurisdictions. They released details about Franklin County, Ohio, a jurisdiction that has been notably robust in their unwillingness to abide by federal detainers. It is the county with the state capital, Columbus, so it serves as a particularly poignant jab at sanctuary policies. The sheriff’s office in the county is responsible for putting over two-dozen criminals back on the streets to protect them instead of protecting citizens.
29 criminal aliens released by Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in recent weeks
COLUMBUS — The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has released 29 criminal aliens and immigration violators since November 2019, despite written detainer requests filed with them by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“When dangerous criminal aliens are released into the community, public safety is needlessly put at risk because of the individual’s propensity to re-offend,” said Rebecca Adducci, field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Michigan and Ohio. “ICE remains committed to arresting and removing criminal aliens in the interest of public safety and national security, despite local decisions to not honor detainers and jeopardize the safety of its citizens.”
ICE recently apprehended the following criminal alien after his release from the Franklin County Sherriff’s Office with an active detainer in place:
- Hajir Muhammud, a 59-year old national of Somalia, was arrested by local authorities Dec. 27, for failure to register as a Tier 1 sex offender. He is a convicted sex offender for crimes involving children. ICE lodged a detainer following his arrest. He was subsequently released after Franklin County declined to honor the ICE detainer. On Jan. 6, ICE arrested Muhammud, and he is currently in custody pending removal proceedings.
However, several criminal aliens released by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office are currently at-large. Efforts by ICE to apprehend these men are currently underway.
Has the county’s penchant for prioritizing illegal aliens over law-abiding citizens made crime lower? No. In fact, the latest numbers show Columbus has a whopping 77% higher violent crime rate than the rest of the state. Their rates for murders, rapes, and robberies are all more than double the national average. We’re not talking about Chicago, Los Angeles, or Baltimore. We’re talking about Columbus, Ohio.
Efforts to keep American citizens safe are only hampered by sanctuary jurisdictions like Franklin County, Ohio. They shield criminal illegal aliens and put their citizens at great risk. ICE has to work much harder as a result. Sanctuary jurisdictions must be abolished.
