WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and Attorney General William Barr seeking additional information on North Carolina sanctuary jurisdictions like Mecklenburg County that continue to not only refuse to honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers but to even notify ICE when it is releasing a potential public safety threat back into the community.

On Monday, ICE announced that 12 criminal aliens were arrested as part of a targeted enforcement operation by its Fugitive Operations Teams in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, from Sept. 21 to 25. Six of these arrests included criminals with active ICE detainers who instead of being transferred into federal custody were released back into the community where they were free to reoffend until their capture.

These dangerous criminals were charged with crimes including assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious bodily injury, driving under the influence, breaking and entering, and larceny. Despite the severity of these violent offenses, Mecklenburg County released some of these dangerous criminals the very same day that ICE issued a detainer request.

“The circumstances of this operation are a reminder that, despite the best efforts of your agency, there are states and municipalities across the nation interfering with your ability to defend public safety,” wrote Senator Tillis. “These sanctuary cities serve as magnets for dangerous criminal aliens who wish to escape justice. In defiance of law and logic, sanctuary jurisdictions like Mecklenburg County refuse to honor ICE detainers, refuse to share information about criminal aliens in custody, and will release these dangerous individuals back into our communities.”

“The Department under your leadership has shown a clear commitment to combatting dangerous criminal aliens and to protecting hard-working American citizens,” Senator Tillis continued. “Despite the work you have done to keep the public safe, and our efforts in Congress to end sanctuary policies, we remain at a stalemate in this fight. When I have brought this legislation to the Senate floor, Democrats have caved to their radical leftist base and blocked it. This is an unreasonable position given the dangers posed by criminal aliens.”

Read the letter to DHS here and DOJ here.

Background:

Last year, Senator Tillis introduced the Immigration Detainer Enforcement Act, legislation that would clarify the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) detainer authority, clearly establish the authority of states and localities to maintain custody in cases in which a detainer has been issued, and incentivize cooperation between law enforcement agencies and DHS through the reimbursement of certain detention, technology, and litigation-related costs.

The introduction was a follow-up to the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act, legislation introduced by Senator Tillis and highlighted by President Trump at the State of the Union that would hold sanctuary jurisdictions like Mecklenburg County accountable for failing to comply with lawful detainer and release notification requests made by federal authorities. Tillis’ legislation creates a private right of civil action for the victims of sanctuary jurisdictions, allowing them to bring an action for compensatory damages against the sanctuary jurisdiction as a result of a violent crime committed by an illegal immigrant.

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