Blaze News investigates: Tren de Aragua exploits Colorado's sanctuary policies amid legal firestorm



While the Biden-Harris administration's open border policies have allowed waves of illegal immigrants to resettle in the United States, Colorado's sanctuary policies brought the immigration crisis "right to the doorsteps of communities in the front range," Castle Rock Town Council Member Max Brooks (R) told Blaze News.

Sanctuary policies, including those in Colorado, have prevented local law enforcement officials from cooperating with federal immigration agents, effectively protecting illegal immigrants — including those who have committed crimes after entering the U.S. — by creating massive roadblocks for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers seeking to detain and deport them. These restrictions have made ICE's work far more dangerous, time-consuming, and expensive.

The state's and Denver's sanctuary policies have acted as magnets for illegal immigrants pouring into the country under the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration, and multiple counties and surrounding municipalities have had enough of dealing with the fallout.

One of the most concerning aspects of the immigration spillover effect happening around the Denver area is the potential spread of the vicious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

TDA heads to Aurora

TDA, a former prison gang that got its start as a railroad labor union in Aragua, Venezuela, has grown into a transnational crime syndicate that has successfully made its way into the U.S. in unknown numbers.

While the Biden-Harris administration maintains that foreign nationals coming into the country are required to undergo advanced vetting processes, the evidence says otherwise.

‘There are several buildings’ that have ‘fallen to these Venezuelan gangs.’

Despite the Venezuelan government's refusal to share its criminal database information with the U.S., the administration launched the CHNV program, which allows 30,000 individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the country each month.

The federal government also extended Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelan nationals on the basis that they cannot "safely" return to their country of origin, citing "a severe humanitarian emergency due to a political and economic crisis, as well as human rights violations and abuses and high levels of crime and violence, that impacts access to food, medicine, healthcare, water, electricity, and fuel, and has led to high levels of poverty," according a Federal Register notice.

It also noted that the country has "experienced heavy rainfall" in 2023 that caused flooding and landslides — issues that the federal government claimed "contribute to the country's existing challenges."

According to the notice, one of the reasons for granting TPS status to Venezuelan nationals is because the country has the "highest rates of violent deaths in the world," in large part due to "organized gangs."

Meanwhile, these federal programs and the administration's catch-and-release policies at the border have allowed millions of Venezuelans to take up residence in the U.S. Even more concerning, vetting of these individuals is limited to U.S. crime databases and INTERPOL.

As a result, TDA has been able to expand its influence into America, and more specifically, appearing to congregate in sanctuary jurisdictions that will further protect its gang members from any of the federal government's deportation efforts.

The immigration crisis' impact on Aurora, which is not a sanctuary city, received national attention after reports that TDA gangbangers were taking over several apartment complexes. Some local officials initially denied the claims that TDA had gained a foothold in the area, but in August, a surveillance video showed armed men storming through an Aurora apartment complex, Blaze News previously reported.

The video evidence further ignited fears that TDA had conquered parts of the city.

The footage captured five men, four carrying firearms, banging on the door of a residence at the Edge of Lowry. A separate video taken of the same apartment but at a presumably earlier time showed a man taking a hammer to the door's deadbolt lock.

A couple who were former residents at the complex told KDVR that living at the property had turned into "a nightmare" for them, stating that their vehicle was riddled with bullet holes from a shootout that had occurred earlier the same month.

The couple thanked Aurora City Council member Danielle Jurinsky for helping them move out of the complex, which they stated had become home to TDA gang members.

Jurinsky told KDVR at the time that nonprofit organizations in the city had "lined up" to assist the new immigrant arrivals, "but nobody is helping the Americans that are trapped in these apartment complexes."

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain initially claimed that the investigation into the incident did not find any gang ties.

"There's a lot of limitations, a lot of rules, a lot of regulations that relate to identifying someone as a specific gang member or an affiliate of a gang," Chamberlain explained. "Many of these individuals we're talking about come from a country which does not have a strong relationship with the United States, come from a country that does not have a database that they are going to share."

Despite some local leaders' denial of the gang's influence, Jurinsky insisted that TDA gangbangers had taken over some apartment complexes in the Aurora area.

"In the entire Denver metro area, it has been like pulling teeth to get anyone, the media, other elected officials, to get anyone to acknowledge the presence of this trend and to acknowledge that there is even a problem," she told Fox News Digital shortly after the video went viral.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) outright rejected allegations that TDA gang members had gained a foothold in areas of the state despite the Aurora Police Department forming a special task force to address the gang's presence.

He accused Jurinsky of making claims about TDA created largely out of her own "imagination."

Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for Polis, told the New York Post, "The governor has already let the mayor know that the state is ready to support the local police department with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if needed."

"But according to police intelligence, this purported invasion is largely a feature of Danielle Jurinsky's imagination," Wieman said.

While Polis essentially rejected the claims, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman (R) acknowledged that "there are several buildings" that have "fallen to these Venezuelan gangs."

As the weeks passed, the truth about the Edge at Lowry complex and others in the surrounding area started to surface.

A month after the viral surveillance video was released, law enforcement sources revealed to the New York Post that one of the three men arrested in connection with the incident admitted to being a TDA gang member.

Niefred Serpa-Acosta, 20, allegedly told ICE officers that he was affiliated with the gang. He also reportedly has crown tattoos, a symbol frequently associated with TDA.

‘Sanctuary policy does not protect lawful immigrants or United States citizens it only protects criminals.’

All three of the arrested suspects have collected lengthy rap sheets during their time in Colorado, sources told the Post. According to KCNC-TV, approximately 10 minutes after the surveillance footage was captured, the men were allegedly involved in a deadly shooting.

Amid mounting allegations of TDA apartment takeovers, the Aurora Police Department released the mugshots and identities of 10 TDA gang members in mid-September.

Per the department's announcement, roughly five miles away from the Edge at Lowry, several TDA gang members were arrested for incidents that occurred at Whispering Pines Condominium. The alleged crimes included assault, domestic dispute with a weapon, and felony menacing.

The same police bulletin noted that two TDA gang members were detained for alleged crimes at Fitzsimons Place, an apartment complex less than two miles from Edge at Lowry. The suspects were arrested for assault and a nonfatal shooting.

That same week, Mayor Coffman and Council member Jurinsky issued a joint statement "to clear the record about the widely reported presence of Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Aurora and across the metro area."

They explained that "overstated claims" suggested that TDA had taken over the city.

"TdA's presence in Aurora is limited to specific properties," they clarified. "We can also now confirm that criminal activity, including TdA issues, had significantly affected" specific properties in the city.

John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE Denver Field Office director and current Republican congressional candidate for Colorado's 6th District, told Blaze News, "Initially, the gang has been confined to specific areas of the city, but if it is ignored it will spread out further throughout the city and state. Aurora must work with Federal authorities as a force multiplier to gather the information and resources necessary to eradicate this growing threat."

Non-sanctuary jurisdictions push back

Earlier this year, Douglas and El Paso Counties filed a lawsuit against the state and Gov. Polis over their sanctuary policies, specifically Colorado House Bill 19-1124 and 23-1100. The complaint claimed that the bills are "illegal and unconstitutional" because they undermine federal immigration laws and regulations. Furthermore, the counties argued that the unlawful legislation has "create[d] dangerous conditions" for Colorado residents and immigrants.

HB 19-1124 claims to "protect" residents from "federal government overreach" by prohibiting law enforcement from arresting or detaining an individual based on ICE's detainer request. Local law enforcement officers are also barred from providing information about individuals to the federal government. HB 23-1100 banned state and any local government officials from "entering into an agreement for the detention of individuals in an immigration detention facility that is owned, managed, or operated by a private entity."

Fabbricatore told Blaze News that the sanctuary laws have "released criminals onto the streets," many of whom "have reoffended and even committed murder" afterward.

He pointed to one case where an illegal alien, 37-year-old Jose Guadalupe Menjivar-Alas, was arrested for the killing of a Colorado mother and her son. In another case, 19-year-old Ever Valles was accused of robbing and murdering a man after Denver ignored ICE's detainer request.

"Sanctuary needs to stop immediately for the safety of our communities. In my opinion Sanctuary policy does not protect lawful immigrants or United States citizens it only protects criminals," Fabbricatore declared.

He referenced a House Judiciary Committee report, which noted that the recidivism rate was 29% for 10,000 immigrants with ICE detainer requests that were not honored between January and September 2014.

The counties' lawsuit against Colorado and Polis read, "The nation is facing an immigration crisis. The nation, the state, and local governments need to cooperate and share resources to address this crisis. Colorado House Bills 19-1124 and 23-1100 prohibit the necessary cooperation and create dangerous conditions for the State and migrants."

Douglas County commissioners previously stated that other counties may be interested in joining the lawsuit against Colorado.

‘The surrounding communities in the metro area never asked to be part of any asylum seeker programs.’

Shortly after filing the initial lawsuit, District 2 Commissioner George Teal told the "Jeff and Bill Show" that there was a "laundry list of counties and municipalities across the state who are just aching to join us on this," noting that the sanctuary legislation has impacted other police operations around the state.

In May, Douglas County filed an amended lawsuit against Colorado after Elbert, Garfield, Mesa, and Rio Blanco Counties also joined the complaint — representing 25% of the state's population.

Castle Rock, a town within Douglas County approximately 30 miles south of Denver, has also dealt with the consequences of Denver's sanctuary policies that have drawn in large numbers of immigrants.

Castle Rock City Council Member Max Brooks recently put forth a motion to instruct the town's attorney to consider a similar lawsuit against Denver. The motion passed 7-0 in September.

"The Town of Castle Rock, through Town Council, issued a declaration of support for the lawsuit filed by Douglas County against the state regarding the prohibition of local law enforcement speaking/coordinating directly with ICE," Brooks told Blaze News. "Because Castle Rock has no municipally funded/run detention facilities we are unable to prove standing so we may actually join their lawsuit."

"The declaration was the best we could do as a Council to voice very strong support of the County's lawsuit," Brooks continued. "We remain very strong supporters of our local and county law enforcement and encourage them to perform their duties to every extent they can in order to catch criminals and put them in jail. I am personally deeply opposed to any effort whatsoever to hamper our law enforcement from performing their public safety duties to protect our residents of Castle Rock and Douglas County."

When asked whether he had seen evidence of TDA's infiltration beyond Denver and Aurora into the Castle Rock area, Brooks told Blaze News that the state's sanctuary legislation makes identifying someone's immigration status and country of origin "much more difficult."

"While we have not directly seen evidence of TdA here in Castle Rock, I believe it is irresponsible for any local government to 'hope for the best' when we already have irrefutable facts showing nearly 45,000 illegal migrants have been brought to Denver, that the vast majority of those migrants are Venezuelan, that there is virtually ZERO vetting of migrants at the border, and that there is a TdA element active in Aurora," Brooks explained.

He noted that at one point, city leaders in Aurora also had "zero evidence of TdA activity but now find their city in a vastly different situation."

Brooks stated that organized retail theft rings have been more frequently targeting stores in Castle Rock, creating "a very large issue for big box retailers."

Additionally, Brooks pointed to a motor vehicle theft ring that the Douglas County Sheriff's Office recently busted. In late August, the department announced that, following multiple investigations, it arrested 11 individuals with suspected ties to the thefts. Among those arrested were three Venezuelan nationals and a Columbian national.

"The surrounding communities in the metro area never asked to be part of any asylum seeker programs, and Denver's own decisions are negatively impacting neighboring communities," Brooks told Blaze News.

He called for the funding of such programs to end.

"Washington has failed us, but so has Colorado and Denver following suit with dedicating $90 million in funding for asylum programs," he continued. "Illegal migrants continue to flow into Denver, despite the decrease and their desperate PR attempts to show executive order efficacy at the border."

“The number one concern I hear from constituents is public safety, tied directly to illegal migration. The Biden/Harris administration began this travesty, but the state of Colorado and city of Denver brought it right to the doorsteps of communities in the front range."

Blaze News original: Biden's 'smoke and mirrors' executive order won't curb illegal crossings, experts warn: 'A purely political play'



On June 4, President Joe Biden released a new executive order that the administration claimed would crack down on the influx of illegal aliens crossing the border, despite previously insisting that his hands were tied regarding the immigration crisis.

Border security and immigration experts told Blaze News that the administration's executive action will do very little, if anything, to actually reduce the number of illegal crossings into the United States.

About the order

The White House's executive order would only temporarily take effect if the number of illegal immigrants averages 2,500 over a seven-day period. The order also contains many exceptions, including for unaccompanied minors, those experiencing medical emergencies, and victims of a "severe form" of trafficking.

Simon Hankinson, senior research fellow at the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, told Blaze News, "Coming three and a half years, and nearly 10 million illegal arrivals into Biden's term, this order is a purely political play. This isn't shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted. It's closing the barn door half an inch, while inviting more horses into the barn so they can bolt too."

"Biden's belated and feckless executive action won't discourage anyone from coming illegally," he continued. "As long as they know from social media, smugglers, and friends that they'll almost certainly be released on arrival, people from 180 countries will keep on coming. As the daily crossing numbers and reporters at the border show, this 63-page executive action, riddled with exceptions, and without the will to enforce even its mild provisions, is having no demonstrable effect."

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas outlined the details of the order during a recent interview with ABC News' "Start Here" podcast.

'Asylum is very much still alive.'

"Individuals encountered in between the ports of entry at our southern border will be barred from seeking asylum," Mayorkas explained. However, he went on to note, "The way in which they can seek asylum now, with this order in effect, is by using the CBP One app and making an appointment to arrive at a port of entry in a safe and orderly way, or accessing one of our many other lawful pathways that we have established for people to receive humanitarian relief without placing their lives in the hands of smugglers."

Customs and Border Protection's CBP One application allows foreign nationals to schedule appointments at ports of entry along the border to file an asylum claim.

Mayorkas reiterated that only illegal immigrants who attempt to cross the southern border outside of a port of entry could be barred from requesting asylum.

"If the number of people we encounter averages for seven consecutive calendar days less than 1,500, then we will lift this bar," Mayorkas continued, adding that the administration "can" and has "the right" to reinstitute the ban if the average number of encounters reaches 2,500 per day for seven consecutive days.

During the interview, Mayorkas commended the Biden administration for building additional "lawful pathways" for those seeking to claim asylum in the U.S.

"More than a million people have accessed those lawful pathways in the past year," he added. "Asylum is very much still alive, but we are deterring irregular migration in between the ports of entry and trying to cut out the smugglers."

Mayorkas acknowledged that the administration knew the American Civil Liberties Union planned to challenge the executive order's legality.

Conservative lawmakers have argued that the executive action lacks teeth, citing the narrow requirements that trigger its enforcement and the lengthy list of exceptions even once it is enforced.

John Fabbricatore, a retired Immigration and Customs Enforcement Denver Field Office director and current Republican congressional candidate for Colorado's 6th District, told Blaze News that the order is "largely smoke and mirrors" that amounts "to a shell game."

"It doesn't genuinely address the problem of securing the border. There isn't a clear plan for detention, leading me to believe that the order won't stop the release of many illegal aliens into the interior. To me, this amounts to an indirect form of amnesty through intentional inaction," Fabbricatore remarked.

Biden blames Republicans

During the White House's announcement of the new executive action, the administration blamed Republican lawmakers for the open border crisis.

"Earlier this year, the President and his team reached a historic bipartisan agreement with Senate Democrats and Republicans to deliver the most consequential reforms of America's immigration laws in decades," the administration claimed. "But Republicans in Congress chose to put partisan politics ahead of our national security, twice voting against the toughest and fairest set of reforms in decades."

Hankinson told Blaze News that the Secure the Border Act, H.R. 2, was "real legislation that would have restored sanity at the border."

"The Democrat-controlled Senate has refused to vote on the bill. The Senate 'bipartisan' bill that came out in February was mere water to HR2's wine. It locked crisis levels of illegal migration into law, failed to stop Biden's mass abuse of parole, failed to curb asylum fraud or the use of children to avoid immigration detention, and granted extraordinary discretion to an administration that has shown itself unworthy of it," Hankinson explained.

"The Senate bill also fed the United Nations-NGO beast that is encouraging and paying for millions of people to migrate illegally towards the United States," he continued. "Biden has tried to convince voters that the Senate bill was tough, but any objective analysis shows the opposite. Again, pure politics. Meanwhile, Biden refuses to uphold the rule of law by ignoring statutes already on the books that require detention of all foreigners entering the U.S. illegally, and granting mass parole in violation of the law's clear intent."

Jon Feere, director of investigations at the Center for Immigration Studies, echoed a similar sentiment regarding the stalled Secure the Border Act, calling it the only "border-related bill that would begin to reverse the Biden administration's lawlessness."

Feere told Blaze News, "The Biden administration does not want it to become law, an obvious sign that they have no interest in actually securing the border."

"Everything the Biden administration has done on immigration has been explicitly designed to undermine enforcement of the nation's immigration laws and the result has been an unprecedented explosion in illegal immigration," Feere continued. "In order to put an end to the lawlessness, the Executive Branch would have to dramatically ramp up arrests and deportations of illegal aliens and invoke serious consequences for border-crossers and companies that hire them. This proclamation does nothing to discourage illegal immigration, and the chaos will continue."

What will the executive order actually accomplish?

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) recently argued that the Biden administration's executive action will "attract and invite" more illegal immigrants to cross the southern border.

He told Fox News, "This is gaslighting our fellow Americans. When Biden gets up and says, 'This is going to stop people from coming across the border,' when he says, 'It's going to secure the border,' in fact, it is making illegal border crossings worse."

Fabbricatore told Blaze News that he agrees with Abbott, stating that the order "will encourage more illegal crossings."

'A significant vetting and national security failure.'

"Evidence of this can already be seen along the border. I predict we will see even more mass crossings before the November election," he remarked. "I don't see any positive effects from this executive order on the current border crisis. It seems more like a political move that President Biden needed to make before the election rather than a solution to the problem. Fraudulent asylum claims, of which less than 15% are eventually approved, continue to rise, reaching nearly 500,000 claims in 2023. The order doesn't address the limited detention space, and recent announcements about closing the Dilley Immigration Detention Center only worsen the issue by eliminating over 1,000 beds."

Fabbricatore explained that even if the number of encounters drops to the executive order's 1,500 daily threshold, Border Patrol agents will still be unable to keep up.

"In a 2019 interview, former Obama administration DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson stated that 1,000 apprehensions a day constituted a crisis. This remains true today. Under the Biden administration, Border Patrol agents have been processing between 1,000 and 6,000 daily, which is unsustainable and represents a significant vetting and national security failure. The morale of the Border Patrol and ICE is extremely low, a condition deliberately caused by the Biden administration from day one," Fabbricatore told Blaze News.

What happens now?

As anticipated, on June 12, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its so-called "cruel" and restrictive executive order. The nonprofit, which filed the suit on behalf of two pro-immigration groups, claimed that the action "severely restricts asylum" and puts "thousands of lives at risk."

After announcing the executive action, the Biden administration's CBP released an internal memo to San Diego sector Border Patrol agents instructing them to release most illegal immigrants from Eastern Hemisphere countries into the U.S. The communication directed agents to provide the individuals with Notice to Appear documents and release them from custody on their own recognizance, an instruction that contradicted the administration's claim that it planned to crack down on unlawful entries.

In recent months, the San Diego area has been hit with a massive uptick in illegal immigration, with foreign nationals from all over the world attempting to unlawfully enter the country near the remote town of Jacumba Hot Springs.

San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond told Blaze News, "This executive order is a facade, offering the illusion of security while doing nothing to address the real issues at our borders. This past weekend alone, thousands of individuals entered San Diego County, exacerbating the alarming number of over 151,000 street releases this fiscal year. This policy effectively allows anyone into the country, regardless of their background or intentions."

Fabbricatore warned that the Biden administration will likely increase the number of foreign nationals it processes through its CBP One app.

"In my opinion this seems like a deliberate action to bypass Congress and allow thousands more to enter the country. Over 80% of these asylum claims will likely be deemed not credible and dismissed. However, given that millions of final removal orders are already pending in the ICE system, the administration knows these individuals are unlikely to be deported," he told Blaze News.

With the country's immigration crisis a top concern for voters, it remains to be seen whether Biden's last-ditch effort to appear tough on unlawful crossings will earn him any additional votes. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seem equally unimpressed with Biden's executive order.

'A blatant contradiction.'

Eighteen Democratic lawmakers, led by Reps. Delia Ramirez (Ill.) and Jesús "Chuy" García (Ill.), wrote a letter Tuesday to Mayorkas and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur Jaddou, slamming the administration's executive action.

"Allowing the consideration of mandatory bars to asylum during initial asylum screening interviews will force asylum seekers to present legally and factually complex arguments explaining the life-threatening harms they are fleeing shortly after enduring a long, traumatic journey and while being held in immigration detention and essentially cut off from legal help," the letter read.

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) told Blaze News that the administration's executive order will not curb illegal immigration.

"The only way to end this self-inflicted border crisis is to end the perverse incentives that encourage mass illegal immigration," Green stated. "This executive order does not come close to doing that. In fact, it legitimizes crisis levels of illegal immigration, broadcasts to the cartels that they can continue to exploit vulnerable people, and allows Border Patrol agents to continue releasing illegal aliens into the interior if they don't claim asylum."

"The cartels know this order won't change anything on the ground, which is why we've seen reports for almost a week now that mass numbers of illegal aliens are still coming across, completely undeterred by this unserious administration. A true leader in the White House would admit his open-borders policies have failed, and use his executive authority to reimplement the policies that worked, and enforce the laws he swore to uphold," Green added.

Feere with CIS told Blaze News that Biden's attempt to appear tough on illegal immigration will not convince voters this November.

"Nothing the administration does now will make a difference," he declared. "In fact, it's only going to get worse as the fallout from their open border agenda impacts all aspects of our lives, from crime to school overcrowding, not to mention the terrorist threats the administration has welcomed into our country."

United States Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) told Blaze News that voters "see through this charade."

"For three years Biden has lied about the border crisis, dodged responsibility by blaming Congress, and now in a blatant contradiction issues a meaningless executive order months before Election Day," Gooden said.

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Blaze News investigates: The TRUTH behind China's stealth US border invasion — 'America can only be destroyed by the enemies within'



The Biden administration's open-border policies have fueled a staggering increase in illegal immigration at the northern and southern borders. New research indicates that an increasing number of these illegal immigrants do not come originally from Mexico or countries farther South, but rather from Asia.

Customs and Border Protection officials have been reporting massive increases in Chinese nationals attempting to illegally enter the country, particularly since late 2023.

'We see the women get off the bus. They're immediately contacted by the Chinese taxicab drivers.'

The Daily Caller News Foundation reported earlier this year that the White House relaxed the interview vetting process for Chinese nationals who have illegally crossed the border, further fast-tracking their entry into the country.

In December, NewsNation captured a video in Jacumba Hot Springs, California, showing a massive caravan of Chinese nationals who had crossed the border illegally.

HAPPENING NOW\ud83d\udea8 Large groups of migrants , mostly Chinese national men crossing illegally through open gaps on the border wall in Jacumba Hot Springs , CA @NewsNation \n\nTomorrow San Diego County officials will vote on whether the county will spend $3 million in taxpayer funds for\u2026
— (@)

In the first six months of fiscal year 2024, Customs and Border Protection officials nationwide encountered nearly 42,000 Chinese nationals, a 133% increase compared to the same period last fiscal year, when they encountered just over 18,000.

Most Chinese nationals illegally crossing the southern border into the United States enter through the San Diego Sector, which has experienced the most encounters in April of all other sectors in the nation. In fiscal year 2023, the San Diego Sector's CBP experienced almost 231,000 illegal immigrant encounters. So far, in the first six months of fiscal year 2024, there have already been more than 185,000.

These eye-popping numbers reported by CBP do not account for the known or unknown gotaways who entered the U.S. without being apprehended by law enforcement officials.

Jessica M. Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, told Blaze News that the increase in Chinese nationals illegally entering the country can be attributed to the fact that the "news has spread that if you can make it to the U.S. border, chances are you will be allowed to stay, perhaps indefinitely."

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells has been sounding the alarm about the open-border crisis and reporting on how it is impacting the San Diego Sector in particular. Wells detailed his recent visits to the southern border in a series of videos shared on X.

While touring the border, we came across a group of primarily Chinese nationals who had just crossed the border illegally. The group was walking on a dirt road in the middle of the night, looking for Border Patrol to take them to the City of San Diego.
— (@)

"I was out there in the middle of the night, and we're driving down these dirt roads and we come across 30 Chinese families — men, women, and children. Just standing there in the middle of nowhere in the dark, maybe 10 miles away from a highway. And they're just waiting to be picked up by the Border Patrol," Wells told Blaze News. "I talked to them. They didn't speak English very well. And I think that some of them probably spoke English better than they let on, but they're just coming over in waves."

He explained that the caravans crossing the southern border are "not just randomly happening" but are part of a highly organized effort. Wells and many others have found countless abandoned IDs and passports scattered in the desert.

Why are illegal immigrants ripping up their IDs and passports when they enter America? They want to create a new identity so that Border Patrol has no idea who they are.\n\nI visited @thecorygoat house, who lives next to the border and has picked up hundreds of torn-up IDs around\u2026
— (@)

"There's a reason for that — they don't want anyone to know who they are. They want to apply for asylum, get their court date for five years in the future, and disappear into the interior of the country," Wells told Blaze News. "We have no idea who they are, why they're here, and what their history is."

He warned that the open-border crisis and relaxed vetting provide a dangerous and easily exploitable opportunity for foreign government actors and terrorists to "slip into the interior" of the country.

"The communist government of China does not see us as an ally; they see us as a competitor in their quest to dominate the world. And I think they've got a vested interest in damaging the United States at any cost. I also know that they've been heavily involved in espionage and stealing technology. And it certainly is a lot easier to do that when you've got tens of thousands of Chinese migrants coming in, and, of course, I would assume some of those are government agents," Wells told Blaze News.

He said the shift in illegal immigrants crossing into California can be blamed mainly on the state's "political climate."

"We're a sanctuary state. Our governor has no interest whatsoever in trying to dissuade people from coming across," Wells added.

In September, San Diego County had 140,000 street releases, according to Wells. Around the same time, Wells noted that he started seeing fewer illegal immigrants from Central America and more from China and Africa.

"The federal government has some goal in mind — I think we all know what it is; it's to change the balance of power in Congress forever. But that goal is so important to them that they do not care about how many people are going to die. I think that's pretty frightening," he stated.

Wells said that the nongovernmental organizations tasked with transporting and providing humanitarian aid to the illegal immigrants are quickly moving the individuals out of the area and relocating them to other parts of the state.

Once the illegal immigrants cross into the country in San Diego County, they are picked up by Border Patrol agents. Iris Avenue Transit Center serves as the primary drop-off point for illegal aliens.

John Fabbricatore, a retired Immigration and Customs Enforcement Denver Field Office director and current Republican congressional candidate for Colorado's 6th District, told Blaze News that Chinese nationals moving through South America to get to the U.S.-Mexico border are paying significant amounts of money.

"They're also being taken care of much better as they move through South America. They are being transported in buses. They have better guides. They're getting food while they're getting through. And that gets all set up by criminal organizations," Fabbricatore said. "These Chinese criminal organizations are actually raising this kind of A+ rating for moving Chinese migrants through South America," often in partnership with the Mexican cartels.

In a video posted on X, Wells described seeing female Chinese nationals being picked up by male Chinese taxicab drivers at the transit station in San Diego County.

Federal data shows a surge in Chinese migrants illegally crossing the US-Mexico border, setting a new record with 24,200 arrests over the last six months, predominantly concentrated in San Diego County.
— (@)

"We see the women get off the bus. They're immediately contacted by the Chinese taxicab drivers," he told Blaze News. "These aren't just guys that show up there. They sleep outside of their taxicabs on the ground. They make cooking fires at night. Their whole life is wrapped around bringing these Chinese people to undisclosed locations."

Wells stated that, at this point, he has not confirmed where these women are being taken and why.

"I was with somebody who spoke Mandarin overhearing, and they said that they were talking about getting to locations in Los Angeles. My speculation is that to pay off their debt to get into the country, they're working in sex trafficking and being taken to the brothels they're going to be working in. But I have no confirmation," he said in an interview with Blaze News.

Vaughan, with the CIS, explained that "it would be easy to get away with this kind of an abusive criminal scheme under the current policies."

Women crossing the border illegally are "released with few questions asked," she told Blaze News, because "officers are too overwhelmed to be able to screen for trafficking situations." She noted that even if a trafficking situation was detected, the females would be "unlikely to divulge much information because they will fear for the safety of their families in China."

"This would not be the first sex trafficking scheme involving Chinese women, and it won't be the last, unless we start doing a better job enforcing our immigration laws. But this is an example of how tolerating and encouraging illegal immigration leads to other problems," Vaughan said.

Relaxed border vetting

Air Force General Gregory Guillot told the Senate Armed Services Committee in March that the influx of Chinese nationals illegally crossing the border is "a big concern" of his, noting the potential for "counter intelligence to hide in plain sight in those numbers," Blaze News previously reported.

Vaughan told Blaze News that she believes "most of those crossing the border illegally are relatively ordinary workers looking for better opportunities in the United States, and some are willing to do their time in service to the drug cartels to get out of China."

"Some may be spies — why wouldn't China try that? — but the reality is that most any Chinese citizen here as a student or white-collar worker could be enlisted as a spy for China, and those in schools, on research projects, or working for innovative U.S. companies or the government are in a better position to carry out espionage. The men crossing the border illegally are more likely lower-level operatives or ordinary workers," she remarked.

Fabbricatore informed Blaze News that he believes a greater threat to national security is from destabilization efforts within the country.

"A lot of people just look at it and they see young males crossing the border, and they think the Chinese are sending their military over here. And I don't see that. This isn't 'Red Dawn.' We're not going to see a bunch of soldiers pop up. But it doesn't take that to bring the United States down. It takes people in positions to lead other people to be dissidents and to lash out at the U.S. and have rallies against the U.S. And to just put us into a flux of chaos," he stated.

"It takes people stealing our advanced technology and using that in China and making it so that they get something to the market before we do. There are a lot of things the Chinese government can do to destabilize the United States, and it doesn't necessarily have to be through force," Fabbricatore added.

To move illegal immigrants through quickly, the Border Patrol has pulled back on its vetting processes, allowing potentially dangerous individuals to slip through undetected. For thorough vetting to occur, illegal aliens would need to be held in custody for about two weeks, Fabbricatore explained.

When illegal immigrants enter the country, they are apprehended and transported to a processing facility where their biometrics are collected and an interview is typically conducted, he told Blaze News. The illegal aliens’ information and fingerprints are run through law enforcement systems to check for previous criminal activity.

"But if that person has never been in the U.S., they're not hitting on anything because most of the systems that we're searching through are U.S.-based systems where if a person has come in contact with law enforcement or the FBI, there will be something in the system on them," Fabbricatore continued. "Now, there are more advanced systems that that information travels through, but it's a longer process and doesn't have an initial red flag that comes up."

"The vetting used to be better with the intelligence-gathering, and it's a lot less now because they're just quickly going through those initial interviews," he noted.

'The young people have been indoctrinated, schooled for years to become American Red Guards to do the destruction of our American ideals and values and traditions.'

In addition to the administration's relaxed border policies acting as a magnet for foreign nationals to cross into the country illegally, Vaughan explained that the increase in entries could also be attributed to "the emergence of Chinese organized crime groups expanding their involvement in illegal marijuana growing and in money laundering for the Mexican drug cartels."

"We can be confident that there is a connection and that the lax border and interior enforcement has facilitated this business model of illegal weed grows in rural areas with workers in a state of bondage, enforced with violence," she continued. "According to federal law enforcement agents, the Chinese crime groups are now the money laundering partners of choice for the Mexican drug cartels, because the Chinese developed a model to successfully launder the funds more quickly and more cheaply than the Mexican money brokers who used to do this job."

The Chinese triads are "controlling a lot of these weed grows that you're seeing in the northern part of our border," including in Maine and upstate New York, Fabbricatore told Blaze News.

The threat of the CCP

Fabbricatore stated, "We know for sure that the Chinese are sending assets over to the United States — 100%. You can see that in some of the secret police stations that the Chinese have set up in some of our cities. ... Those are CCP assets that they have sent over to the United States to find dissidents, to find these real asylum-seekers who are coming into the U.S. and speaking out against the Chinese government."

He mentioned that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had shut down the foreign police station operations and arrested some individuals involved.

Lily Tang Williams, a Republican congressional candidate in New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, told Blaze News that the Department of Justice may have closed down the offices, but that has not stopped the CCP from continuing its operations.

Williams expressed that she is "very, very concerned" about the influx of Chinese nationals crossing the southern border illegally. Tang Williams grew up in China during Mao Zedong's cultural revolution, and she is now determined to "prevent the country she loves from becoming the country she left."

"I have been speaking up about my story for a while, and because of that, the [Chinese Communist Party] has discovered me. And they've threatened me since 2019 to say, 'Shut up,' or, 'You are a wanted criminal when you come back to China to visit your family and friends," Tang Williams stated, adding that she has been unable to see her loved ones since the threats began.

She said she is concerned about her safety and the CCP's influence on American systems.

"I'm afraid that people don't understand China. That is a very complicated issue," Tang Williams remarked. She explained that Xi Jinping aims to ensure that China takes over as the top global power, including "militarily, economically, diplomatically, and technologically."

"There's a strong force united to really destroy our country from within," she told Blaze News. "I truly believe America can only be destroyed by the enemies within."

Tang Williams explained that the federal government has allowed China to "infiltrate" America for decades. She noted that the CCP's influence and control is much more significant than most realize.

"For the U.S. particularly, they have sent the Confucius Institute funded by the Chinese government in the name of promoting culture and the language. ... At the end of last year, I think at most of the college campuses, the Confucius Institute ceased to exist, but I heard they changed names," she warned. "That's the tactic."

Fabbricatore echoed Tang Williams' concerns in a statement made to Blaze News, noting that the CCP has exploited student and work visa programs to plant assets that fuel destabilization efforts.

Tang Williams stated that news outlets in the U.S. that broadcast and publish content in Mandarin are all owned by pro-CCP actors.

"Now, you talk about business associations, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, friendship societies, sister cities, university exchanges," she continued. "It's amazing, all that deep infiltration."

Tang Williams explained that Mao Zedong used identity politics to seize control.

I am a survivor of Mao's Cultural Revolution. Here are some of his revolution features and tactics. You can judge yourself if these look similar with today's American woke cultural revolution.\n\n1. Mao started Cultural Revolution to purge his political enemies and become a\u2026
— (@)

"There is a similarity between the cultural revolution in China and the woke revolution in this country. And the young people have been indoctrinated, schooled for years to become American Red Guards to do the destruction of our American ideals and values and traditions," Tang Williams told Blaze News.

"Marxism is 'oppressor versus oppressed.' So they are constantly creating the new oppressed group," she added. "It's by design. ... Our young people just don't know; they don't realize it."

When asked about the border crisis and recent increase in Chinese nationals illegally entering the U.S., Tang Williams told Blaze News, "I'm very concerned a legal immigrant, like me, has been totally forgotten — people who come here, follow the laws. My brother waited 13 years to come here legally from inside China. And those people are being punished."

Tang Williams explained that a "very organized" system exists for Chinese nationals seeking to immigrate to the U.S. illegally.

"I have watched some TikTok videos in Chinese," she said. The online posts "tell people where to sleep in South America, what route to take to avoid the criminals." Tang Williams explained that they arrange for drivers to pick them up once they have arrived in the U.S.

"Some people are truly wanting to escape China for freedom, come here, live a better life," Tang Williams stated. "But there's lots of military-age men. They do not even want to be photographed, and they don't want to talk. And it sounds like it's very organized, the whole activity. Even telling them which border to enter."

Tang Williams told Blaze News that if the White House and Democrats truly cared about immigrants, they would speed up processing times for those who have applied to legally move to the U.S. She called the administration's open-border crisis a "mad house."

"They are doing this on purpose; this massive illegal migration movement is also supporting and funding the dividing of nations. ... Why do they just open up the borders? There is clearly an agenda to help one party," Tang Williams continued. "[Democrats] only think about their own power grab and staying in power. And getting [illegal immigrants] fast-tracked to get a Social Security number to work and to become voters."

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Blaze News investigates: ICE officials speak out about how 'sanctuary' policies protect criminals



Many Democratic-run jurisdictions across the United States have adopted various forms of so-called 'sanctuary' policies that continue to provide protections to illegal migrant criminals by creating massive roadblocks for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the agency and immigration experts.

The term "sanctuary policy" describes several similar ordinances that ultimately prevent local and state law enforcement officials from coordinating and cooperating with federal immigration officers.

Marie Ferguson, a spokesperson for ICE's New York City Field Office, told Blaze News that there is "no official or agreed-upon definition of what constitutes a 'sanctuary' jurisdiction"; however, the policies typically encompass three categories: "Don't enforce," "don't ask," and "don't tell."

Ferguson explained that "don't enforce" policies prohibit police from aiding federal immigration authorities; "don't ask" policies ban local officials from looking into an individual's immigration status; and "don't tell" policies prohibit police and federal officials from sharing information.

How do sanctuary policies undermine ICE?

Ferguson stated that measures restricting cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration officers "threaten public safety" because it "means criminal noncitizens are released back into our communities with opportunity to reoffend before being apprehended by [ICE's] Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)."

John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE Denver Field Office Director and current Republican congressional candidate for Colorado's 6th District, told Blaze News that the regulations in sanctuary jurisdictions prevent local law enforcement agencies from communicating with ICE when they arrest or release an illegal alien.

"It makes it where ICE then has to go and find that information in other ways," he stated.

Fabbricatore explained that it is becoming more difficult for ICE to do its job because, in addition to restricting local law enforcement cooperation, some sanctuary laws also prevent other state-run agencies, such as motor vehicle and labor departments, from communicating with ICE.

"Here in Denver, they don't even allow probation and parole to give information to ICE," he told Blaze News. "So this is an illegal alien that's been convicted of a crime and then released out onto the street, and ICE is not allowed to get any information on that person. But yet, the illegal alien is going out on, say, probation, and it's being paid for by the U.S. taxpayer."

Two Colorado counties filed a lawsuit this week against the state, demanding it put an end to its sanctuary policies, claiming the measures "create dangerous conditions" for residents and citizens. Approximately 40,000 illegal migrants have moved to Denver over the past 16 months.

I support Douglas County in filing this lawsuit against the state of Colorado concerning sanctuary policy laws passed by the state legislature. These laws only protect convicted criminal Illegal aliens and do nothing to protect tax-paying citizens and legal residents.\u2026
— (@)

Fabbricatore says sanctuary policies were created as part of the abolish-ICE movement to hinder federal immigration officials. These restrictions typically prevent local or state law enforcement from honoring ICE's detainer requests.

ICE's ERO, which "manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process," according to the agency's website, places detainer requests against migrants who have been arrested and held by local or state law enforcement agencies for committing criminal acts.

"Detainers request that state or local law enforcement agencies maintain custody of the noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released, allowing ERO to assume custody for removal purposes in accordance with federal law," Ferguson told Blaze News.

Without coordination from local agencies, ICE officials are forced to "expend additional resources and search within neighborhoods to re-apprehend these criminals at increased risk to the public and our officers," Ferguson remarked.

The ICE spokesperson noted that detainer requests "are a critical public safety tool" to ensure that criminals do not end up back on the street.

"Since detainers result in the direct transfer of a noncitizen from state or local custody to ERO custody, they minimize the potential that an individual will reoffend," Ferguson added.

The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, has the authority under federal law to issue administrative arrest warrants for immigration violations. ICE issues an administrative warrant of arrest with each detainer request. However, sanctuary policies often state that federal authorities must obtain a criminal warrant issued by a judge or magistrate, which ICE claims "is not required or necessary according to federal law."

"When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets, it undermines ERO's ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission," Ferguson noted.

What are the consequences of sanctuary policies?

Fabbricatore, a board member of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement, provided testimony last year at the House Immigration Subcommittee's hearing, "Examine Sanctuary Cities That Shield Illegal Aliens." He raised concerns about the "erosion of immigration enforcement and lack of respect for the rule of law" and warned about the "hundreds of thousands of criminal aliens at large" in the country under the Biden administration.

"As an ICE field office director, I witnessed the deterioration of relationships with local law enforcement agencies because of sanctuary policies," he told lawmakers.

According to Fabbricatore, detainers were helpful tools utilized by ICE to ensure public safety until sanctuary policies began prohibiting the coordination between law enforcement agencies.

"A lot of the sanctuary jurisdictions don't allow their county jails to hold ICE detainees," Fabbricatore stated, referring to sheriff's departments that rent out their unused jail space to ICE. "That limits the overall population for what ICE can hold to a very low number."

According to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse data, nearly 35,000 illegal migrants were being held in ICE detention as of April 7. Fabbricatore stated that the number of individuals in ICE custody is "very low" considering "the millions of people that are coming in and how many we could put in detention if we had that detention space."

Sanctuary policies have forced ICE to exert additional manpower and hours to locate and detain illegal migrant criminals. If local law enforcement agencies were allowed to notify ICE before a criminal migrant was released from jail, it would only require one or two federal immigration agents to pick up and transfer the individual into federal custody, Fabbricatore explained to Blaze News. It can take up to six officers to apprehend a suspect who has been released onto the street, he added. ICE officers must also run surveillance before attempting to apprehend a suspect, which typically requires at least two officers, Fabbricatore said.

"So it takes a greater amount of hours and much more manpower than if a local jurisdiction would just say, 'Hey, this person's getting ready for release. ICE, come pick them up,'" he declared.

Fabbricatore noted that federal agents catching illegal migrants on the street is not only more expensive for taxpayers but also far more dangerous for officers.

"When two officers can go to the jail, it's a secure environment," he added. "But when you go to a home, or you pull someone over in a car, they are in the community. And now you have the potential as you go to pull someone over, they flee, they crash into somebody else. Or you go to a home where they have access to firearms. Or you arrest them in front of their house in a neighborhood where maybe their neighbors are on their side, and they come out and now there's a big riot."

Experts explained that it is difficult to estimate how much longer illegal migrant criminals are out on the street as a result of the lack of communication between local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Jon Feere, director of investigations with the Center for Immigration Studies, told Blaze News, "The truth is, ICE doesn't even know when a detainer that's not honored results in the release of an alien."

Feere explained that in states like California that do not honor most detainers, ICE will not be notified that the state denied its request. In those instances, the suspect is released from custody without ICE notification.

"They'll just ignore the request altogether," Feere said.

ICE does not learn that its detainer was ignored and the suspect was released from local custody until that individual commits another crime and pops back up on the agency's radar, Feere explained.

He noted that California's policies also prohibit its sheriff's departments from participating in the 287(g) program. According to the ICE's website, this program "enhances the safety and security" of communities by authorizing the agency "to delegate to state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under the agency's direction and oversight."

The program allows ICE to train sheriffs on how to identify criminal illegal migrants in their prisons and begin the paperwork process to prepare the individual for removal.

"Those are critical law enforcement partnerships. Sanctuary cities generally outlaw them," Feere remarked. "One of the things that people don't realize is that a lot of these illegal aliens who show up in jails after having been arrested have no records whatsoever. And, as a result, the sheriffs don't know who the person is and ICE doesn't know who the person is until an interview occurs."

Under ICE's Criminal Apprehension Program, officers "actually go and interview some of these individuals in the jails and they will usually admit that they're here unlawfully."

"A lot of sanctuary jurisdictions don't permit ICE to have access to their jails, which is another form of protecting criminal aliens," he said.

Regarding the types of crimes committed, Feere said it could be "almost anything you can imagine."

"It's actually quite shocking that these sanctuaries choose not to honor detainers for aliens who have been arrested for everything from DUIs to carjacking to sexual assaults. These jurisdictions have decided that allowing a foreign national to get away with violating our immigration laws is more important than public safety," he told Blaze News.

What jurisdictions have adopted sanctuary policies?

Many states, cities, and counties across the nation have adopted measures that prevent police from coordinating with federal immigration officials. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, as of April 12, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington have enacted sanctuary policies at the state level.

In Massachusetts, there are eight cities, including Boston, that have committed to shielding illegal migrants from ICE. The influx of new arrivals has caused the state's shelter system to become overwhelmed. A report published earlier this year by WBZ claimed that the state is spending roughly $64 per day to feed each migrant.

Additionally, Massachusetts is the only state in the nation with a "right to shelter" law that requires every homeless family to be provided with accommodations that include refrigeration and basic cooking facilities. Since many overflow shelters do not fulfill this requirement, the state has resorted to contracting third-party vendors to deliver food to migrants, the WBZ report found.

Paul Craney with Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance told Blaze News, "During her tenure as Massachusetts Attorney General, current Governor Maura Healey vigorously pursued the legal case which now actively prevents Massachusetts's local, county, and state law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. At the time, she hailed her win at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court as 'a victory for the rule of law and smart immigration and criminal justice policies …'"

"The victims at the heart of the recent case in the town of Milford likely disagree with her statement," Craney stated, referring to an incident in which an illegal migrant was charged with child rape after a Massachusetts District Court ignored ICE's detainer request, releasing the man back out onto the street.

"The governor and the Massachusetts legislature have the power to fix this dangerous injustice whenever they feel so moved. Federal immigration authorities are tasked with keeping track of recent immigrants and are the organization most in the know as to which, if any, new arrivals may be a threat to the children, people, and property of the people of this country," he stated.

Craney argued that the state's sanctuary policies, which Healey (D) backed, are "actively harming the people of Massachusetts" and creating "a colossal waste in taxpayer money" by forcing ICE to exhaust more time and resources to locate and apprehend criminals.

"It's time for Governor Healey and the legislature to demonstrate that they have some modicum of compassion and empathy for the people being hurt by their inaction and fix the mess they've made," Craney told Blaze News.

Ferguson, an ICE spokesperson with the New York City Field Office, told Blaze News that the agency is hopeful the city's mayor, Eric Adams (D), will reform the current sanctuary policies that prevent the agency from working with local law enforcement.

"ERO New York City will continue to uphold its mission to protect the citizens of New York by removing threats to public safety. We always stand ready to work with our law enforcement partners without condition and welcome Mayor Adams' recent comments about opening the door to cooperation," Ferguson stated.

During a February town hall meeting, Adams said, "Those small numbers [of migrants] that have committed crimes, we need to modify the sanctuary city law that if you commit a felony or violent act, we should be able to turn you over to ICE and have you deported."

Adams has claimed that the city's current laws prevent him from removing migrants that have poured into the city over the last year.

Republican state lawmakers previously proposed legislation that, if passed, would effectively reverse New York City's sanctuary policies.

Canarsie Brooklyn NY \nDuring a Town Hall meeting, a resident raised his concerns over illegal scooters, @NYPDChiefPatrol John Chell states he heard those concerns by other residents and have been taking action and so far seized over 50k illegal scooters and cars off the streets,\u2026
— (@)

Anything else?

Fabbricatore stated that migrants are incentivized to relocate to jurisdictions with sanctuary policies.

"Sanctuary policy definitely does not protect United States citizens; it protects criminal illegal aliens," Fabbricatore added. "A lot of these sanctuary cities say that they are protecting immigrants. Legal immigrants don't need protection from ICE because they're doing the right thing. ICE is not going after them. ICE normally goes after those who commit crimes inside the United States. So illegal aliens who, on top of being illegally here, have also committed crimes."

Feere stated that passing legislation that requires sanctuary jurisdictions to honor ICE detainer requests should be the Republican Party's "top priority." He called it "unacceptable" that conservative lawmakers have not already implemented such legislation.

"The issue of sanctuary jurisdictions has gone on for quite some time, and it's amazing to me that Congress hasn't put an end to the nonsense. We have had Congresses where the Republican Party was in control and yet there was not any effort to pass a bill that requires states to honor ICE detainers," he stated. "When you have a situation with states that are choosing to ignore the federal government, our country really starts to fall apart."

"It also frustrates me that the Department of Homeland Security has allowed this to go on as long as it has. There's a saying within DHS, which is that, 'We are one DHS,'" he continued, noting that ICE, Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Coast Guard are all under DHS.

"Why is it that the other agencies within the DHS continue to do business with these states that are undermining one of its sister agencies?" Feere questioned. "Shouldn't these agencies stick up for ICE? And explain to states like California, Massachusetts that you can't pick and choose which part of DHS you want to work with? Either you work with us all, or you don't."

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DHS enlists anti-ICE immigration detention official who doesn't want illegal migrants behind bars



The Biden administration's Department of Homeland Security recently enlisted Michelle Brané to serve as the agency's immigration detention ombudsman, according to a Wednesday announcement from the DHS.

Brané previously served as the executive director for the department's Family Reunification Task Force and has been an outspoken critic of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In several posts on X, Brané accused ICE of using "abusive enforcement."

"ICE already gets billions of taxpayer money to detain asylum seekers," she wrote in 2019. "They do not need more."

In another post from 2017, Brané stated that the agency "can not implement detention humanely."

"Time to use alternatives and stop using a prison model for civil immigration cases," she declared.

Former ICE acting Director Thomas Homan previously stated, "If we wait for [non-criminal undocumented immigrants] to violate yet another law against a citizen of this country, then it's too late. We shouldn't wait for them to become a criminal."

Brané responded to Homan's comments by writing on X, "Sounds like a police state to me."

She repeatedly slammed the Trump administration, claiming the former president's DHS separated migrant children from their parents.

"Yet again - the cruelty of this administration and border policies that punish those seeking protection is shocking. Separating newborns from their mother and lying about hospital policy," Brané said in 2020.

In her new position with the DHS, Brané will be responsible for scrutinizing ICE's detention of illegal migrants.

Jon Feere, director of investigations with the Center for Immigration Studies and former ICE chief of staff under the Trump administration, told the New York Post that tapping Brané for the position is like "putting an arsonist in charge of conducting oversight of the U.S. Forest Service."

"My guess is that she'll use her new authority to undermine ICE detention efforts, which will come in the form of excessive audits and releases of illegal aliens based on unsupported and phony complaints," Feere said.

John Fabbricatore, a former ICE field office director, told the Post that the DHS' decision to appoint Brané "raises critical questions about the direction and priorities of ICE under the current administration."

"Ms. Brane's previous assertions that efforts by ICE to pre-emptively arrest illegal aliens to prevent further crimes equate to a 'police state' underscores a problematic perspective for someone about to hold a significant position in a law enforcement agency," Fabbricatore said.

The DHS did not respond to the Post's request for comment.

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Colorado counties sue state over sanctuary policies that ‘create dangerous conditions’



Two Colorado counties filed a lawsuit on Monday against the state over its sanctuary policies that they argue “create dangerous conditions” for residents and migrants.

Over the past 16 months, roughly 40,000 illegal migrants have relocated to Denver.

The lawsuit was filed by El Paso and Douglas Counties, both located south of Denver. It stated that Colorado House Bills 19-1124 and 23-1100 are “illegal and unconstitutional” because they undermine federal immigration laws and regulations.

“The Colorado General Assembly enacted Colorado House Bills 19-1124 and 23-1100, which prohibit local governments from cooperating with the federal government in immigration matters,” the complaint read.

According to the suit, the legislation prevents local law enforcement authorities from arresting or detaining illegal migrants. It also prohibits state judicial officials from sharing information regarding illegal migrants with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Additionally, the bills ban local law enforcement from entering into immigration enforcement agreements with federal agents.

“The nation is facing an immigration crisis. The nation, the state, and local governments need to cooperate and share resources to address this crisis,” the lawsuit read.

The counties claimed the bills “prohibit the necessary cooperation and create dangerous conditions for the State and migrants.”

Douglas County commissioners stated during a Monday news conference that other Colorado counties may be interested in joining the lawsuit, the Denver Gazette reported.

District 2 Commissioner George Teal told KNUS, “We’re in the middle of an illegal immigration crisis.”

“Terrorist are infiltrating our southern border,” Teal told the “Jeff and Bill Show” on Monday. “You know who’s catching them? It’s not the federal authorities. It’s local law enforcement.”

Teal explained that the lawsuit will start in Denver District Court because it challenges laws passed by the state legislature. However, he anticipates the complaint will be challenged.

“We have a laundry list of counties and municipalities across the state who are just aching to join us on this,” Teal said, referring to the suit. “Their police operations have been affected as well.”

He anticipates that the lawsuit will take up most of the year and even bleed into the following year if the appeals process is launched.

Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly called the legal action "absolutely necessary to allow law enforcement to work with our federal partners to help keep all of Colorado safe."

John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE Denver Field Office Director and current Republican congressional candidate for Colorado’s 6th District, told Blaze News, “Sanctuary policies, especially those that create confusion and conflict between local and federal law enforcement agencies, prioritize the well-being and rights of illegal aliens over the safety of American citizens.”

“By shielding criminal offenders from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and possible deportation, these policies allow them to remain in communities where they may continue to pose a threat to public safety. This not only puts American citizens at risk but also undermines the rule of law and the authority of ICE,” Fabbricatore added.

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