Illustrating once again how sanctuary policies endanger American communities by harboring criminal aliens, more than 1,300 illegal immigrants with serious criminal records have lived freely for an unknown period in two suburbs surrounding the nation’s capital. Even after getting arrested by local police, convicted or serving time for violent felonies, the foreign perpetrators were released by open border officials rather than turned over to federal authorities for removal. The offenders include murderers, rapists, kidnappers, arsonists, drug traffickers, and members of transnational criminal street gangs such as the famously violent Tren de Aragua, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and 18th Street.
In a significant development unlikely to receive mainstream media coverage, a federal crackdown recently arrested the offenders—1,328 in all—in the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Virginia and Maryland. Conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the two-week sweep, coined Operation Safe Community, comes on the heels of a similar roundup in Georgia that took more than 1,200 alien criminals off the streets. “When sanctuary politicians refuse to work with ICE, they force our officers to make these arrests at large in the communities–creating a more dangerous environment for our officers, the aliens we are arresting, and the general public,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Acting Assistant Director Patricia Hyde. “We could be using one or two officers to make a custodial arrest in the security of a jail cell; however, because sanctuary politicians refuse to cooperate, we have to expend time, manpower, and resources to arrest these aliens on the streets.”
This has long been a nationwide problem as local governments across the U.S. shield illegal immigrants—even those convicted of violent crimes—by refusing to participate in 287(g), a federal-local partnership that notifies ICE when inmates are in the country illegally so they can be deported rather than released into American communities. Less than a year ago, Judicial Watch reported that two sanctuary states alone, New York and Illinois, released nearly 9,000 criminal aliens from jails and prisons during a 10-month period, defying ICE detainers to remove them. Among the offenders protected by the sanctuary policies in the two states were murderers, terrorists, sexual predators, kidnappers, and serious drug offenders. A Turkish Known or Suspected Terrorist (KST) named Selman Cevik jailed for first degree menacing and harassment as well a rapist and two known gang members were let go by New York officials. Illinois released a Mexican man convicted of three counts of aggravated kidnapping/ransom and another convicted for predatory criminal sex assault of a child. It is not clear if any of the New York or Illinois criminal aliens have been apprehended by ICE since local officials released them.
In the recent Operation Safe Community hundreds of the criminal aliens roaming the capital area had convictions for major crimes in the U.S. and clearly benefitted from the protection of sanctuary policies in counties throughout Virginia and Maryland. Others had serious felony charges or were known members of violent street gangs. Without cooperation from local authorities, tracking them down required more federal resources as well as time. “Our officers are the best in the world at finding people who do not want to be located,” said Hyde, the ICE ERO assistant director. “That’s exactly what we did throughout the course of this operation. Removing these criminal alien offenders from Virginia and Maryland neighborhoods makes for much safer communities, and that is exactly what the men and women of ICE work to accomplish every day across our great nation.”
ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), includes mug shots and a detailed criminal history of those apprehended in the recent operation surrounding the nation’s capital. Among them is German Mejia-Baires, a previously deported MS-13 gang member from El Salvador arrested for felony malicious wounding, driving while intoxicated and shoplifting. Haitian national Actionel Pierre, was free despite being wanted for attempted murder, two counts of assault, possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure, and reckless endangerment. Guatemalan Angel Gabriel Ortiz-Hernandez has a criminal history that includes rape of a mentally incapacitated victim and two counts of aggravated sexual battery of an incapacitated victim. Previously deported Jamaican Rowan Andrew Brown’s criminal history includes kidnapping, two counts of identity theft and fraud. Mexican Julio Hector Carranza-Rojano has charges for felony aggravated sexual battery, driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.
