Latest news with #sanctuarypolicies
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Dems' sanctuary policies shield 'gangbangers,' harm Latino families, businesses, says Hispanic GOP lawmaker
EXCLUSIVE: Hispanics living in Democratic-run jurisdictions are frustrated with sanctuary policies, which they feel are allowing criminal illegal aliens to prey on their communities, according to a Latino congressman from Colorado. While some Democrats and media outlets attempt to portray Hispanics as universally opposed to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., said the reality in his district is very different. Both Colorado and Denver have sanctuary policies in place that limit local law enforcement's ability to cooperate with ICE and other federal immigration enforcement agencies. Evans said that this has led to a marked increase in crime and violence in his community. Earlier this year, then-acting DEA Administrator Derek Maltz said sanctuary policies had allowed Colorado to become "ground zero for some of the most violent criminals in America," including Tren de Aragua's leadership. Tren de Aragua — also known by its acronym "TdA" — is a violent Venezuelan criminal group that has been linked to some of the most high-profile crimes in America in recent years, including the murder of nursing student Laken Riley and the capturing of an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Evans, a young Latino and former police officer who represents a district just north of Denver, further confirmed that sanctuary policies in his district are wreaking havoc on both Hispanic lives and businesses. "In my district, we had one of the first big raids that we saw of the new administration, where over 40 Tren de Aragua gang members and their affiliates were all apprehended by the DEA working in conjunction with other agencies," he said. "We're talking guns and drugs and human trafficking and child abuse … these are the people that have been festering in our society under the sanctuary state policies in Colorado." As the only Latino member of the Colorado delegation in Congress, Evans said the sanctuary policies are personal. "We don't want these people in our community," he said. "I have conversations with my local Hispanic business owners with people that are not just major pillars of the Hispanic community, but these are also husbands and wives and moms and dads. And they don't want Tren de Aragua in their communities. They don't want their local businesses, Hispanic-owned businesses, to be burglarized or to have violence." Evans shared that one constituent who owns a Hispanic grocery store told him he was regularly losing thousands of dollars a day during the Biden administration because of illegal immigrant crime. "He said the previous several years under the Biden administration were horrible because he would have illegal immigrants come into his store on a routine basis - we're talking daily or weekly - and stealing thousands of dollars of goods from him," he explained. "But because of the sanctuary state policies and because the previous administration had zero desire to enforce the law, there was nothing he could do about it." "There was nothing that state or local law enforcement could do because they were prohibited by these sanctuary laws and the feds weren't interested. So, he watched thousands of dollars of merchandise walk out of his store on a weekly, sometimes a daily basis as a direct result of these policies. That hurts him. That hurts the Hispanic community." "We don't want drug dealers and cartels and criminals and gangbangers in our community," he went on. "So, this emphasis on cracking down on these criminal elements who are not only illegally present in the United States but are committing other crimes is long overdue, and there's a lot of support for that in the Hispanic community." Fox News Digital reached out to the office of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston for comment but did not receive a response by time of publication.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Federal judge tosses Trump DOJ lawsuit against sanctuary policies in Chicago
The Trump administration's battle with Democrat-controlled jurisdictions and their sanctuary polices suffered a blow on Friday when a federal judge in Chicago dismissed a case challenging their legality. Judge Lindsay Jenkins of the Northern District of Illinois, a President Biden appointee, granted the defendants' motion for dismissal, ruling that the city's ordinances are lawful protections not subject to federal enforcement mandates. The Trump Justice Department, in a February filing, accused the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago of unlawfully interfering with President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration as it aims to carry out mass deportations. Sanctuary cities or sanctuary policies limit co-operation between local officials and law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The Trump administration has long railed against the measures, arguing they make such areas a haven for criminal illegal immigrants and contribute to increased crime. The Justice Department alleges these laws violate the U.S. Constitution's "Supremacy Clause" under the Tenth Amendment, which states that federal law preempts state and local laws that may conflict with it. But Jenkins rejected the argument, ruling that states retain significant powers not explicitly granted to the federal government. "Finding that these same Policy provisions constitute discrimination or impermissible regulation would provide an end-run around the Tenth Amendment," the judge wrote. "It would allow the federal government to commandeer States under the guise of intergovernmental immunity — the exact type of direct regulation of states barred by the Tenth Amendment." MAYOR JOHNSON WARNS TRUMP AGAINST DEPLOYING FEDERAL TROOPS FOR IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN CHICAGO The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance in 2012 that stops city agencies and employees from getting involved in civil immigration enforcement or helping federal authorities with such efforts. The Illinois legislature passed a similar state law, known as the TRUST Act, in 2017. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was pleased with the decision and that the city is safer when police focus on the needs of Chicagoans. "This ruling affirms what we have long known: that Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance is lawful and supports public safety. The City cannot be compelled to cooperate with the Trump Administration's reckless and inhumane immigration agenda," he said in a statement. The Trump administration has sued several jurisdictions over their sanctuary policies, including a filing this week against New York City. The administration has also sued several New Jersey cities, as well as Los Angeles. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the federal government was left with no choice but to protect New Yorkers by filing the suit. "If New York's leaders won't step up to protect their citizens, we will," she wrote on X.
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Judge Dismisses DOJ Lawsuit Over Chicago's Sanctuary Protections for Immigrants
A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against Illinois and Chicago over sanctuary policies that the government has said interfere with federal immigration enforcement. In a ruling released Friday, U.S. District Judge Lindsay Jenkins said the government lacked standing to override local laws that limit cooperation and information-sharing between law enforcement.
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Trump administration sues New York City
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against New York City and several of its officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, to challenge local sanctuary policies, which restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The policies of the city amount to an 'intentional effort to obstruct federal law enforcement,' the DOJ said in a statement on Thursday. US President Donald Trump in recent months has mounted a broader assault on Democratic-controlled cities that practice such policies, combining legal action and massive anti-immigrant law enforcement raids. 'New York City has released thousands of criminals on the streets to commit violent crimes against law-abiding citizens due to sanctuary city policies,' US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated. If New York City won't stand up for the safety of its citizens, we will. The city has long been at 'the vanguard of interfering with enforcing our immigration laws,' US Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate claimed. The DOJ argues that the sanctuary policies are preempted by federal legislation under the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution. Responding to the lawsuit, Adams said that while he stands for 'the essence of the local laws,' he believes 'they go too far when it comes to dealing with those violent criminals on our streets.' The mayor called upon the city council to reexamine the policies to 'effectively work with the federal government.' The lawsuit is the latest action taken by the Trump administration against the sanctuary policies maintained in many Democratic strongholds across the US. Over the past three months, the DOJ filed similar suits against Los Angeles, the state of New York, Colorado, Illinois, and several cities across New Jersey. Earlier this week the mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, announced the city will drop its sanctuary policies and begin complying with the Trump administration. Resisting the federal government could potentially lead to massive California-style raids by immigration agents, he argued.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Greg Gutfeld: 'Forget the good intentions, it's really about power' for the Left
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld and guests discuss liberals and what they call 'good intentions' for sanctuary policies and cities.
