Illegal with 30+ Arrests Walks Free, American Mom Dies in VA, Governor Still Won’t Work with ICE [WATCH]

Sen. Eric Schmitt raised concerns about sanctuary city policies during remarks addressing cooperation between local jurisdictions and federal immigration authorities, arguing that some local leaders refuse to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when criminal illegal immigrants are released from custody.

Schmitt said the issue centers on jurisdictions that decline to inform federal immigration officials when individuals convicted of serious crimes become eligible for deportation.

“The sanctuary status that many of these jurisdictions, there’s about 11 that are matter the most in this country. But what is that about? What does that really mean?”

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Schmitt said the policy effectively prevents federal immigration authorities from being alerted when individuals convicted of violent crimes are released from prison.

“It means that the local leaders will not tell ice when rapists and murderers and criminals are released from prison so they can be deported. Think about that. Think about that. That’s what’s happening.”

Schmitt pointed to a specific case in Northern Virginia that he said illustrates the issue. According to Schmitt, the case involved an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone who had been arrested numerous times before allegedly killing an American citizen.

“And by the way, it’s happening in Northern Virginia, the new governor just today said that this, this brutal killer, Abdul Jalloh, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone with more than 30 prior arrests who brutally stabbed to death. Stephanie Minter, a mother, an American citizen less than 50 miles from here.”

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Schmitt said the case has raised questions about whether local officials would cooperate with federal immigration authorities if the suspect were released from custody.

“she will not work with ice if, for some reason, this monster gets gets released, she will not let ICE know when he’s being released. Think about that.”

The senator said the situation reflects what he believes is a broader problem involving sanctuary policies in certain jurisdictions across the country.

“That’s what is happening in this country.”

Sanctuary policies generally refer to local or state decisions limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, including refusing to hold individuals in custody solely for immigration violations or declining to notify federal authorities about release dates.

Supporters of those policies have argued that limiting cooperation can improve trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement. Critics, including Schmitt, have argued that failing to notify ICE when criminal illegal immigrants are released creates public safety risks.

Schmitt said the issue should not be a partisan matter and suggested that informing federal authorities about the release of illegal immigrants convicted of crimes should be widely supported.

“So forgive me if I don’t want to be lectured by the Democrats on this point.”

He added that there should be common ground on notifying federal law enforcement when someone who entered the country illegally is being released from prison.

“I would think in a different time, in a different place, that we could all actually agree that if somebody is here illegally and they’re being released from prison, that we would let federal law enforcement know about it.”

Schmitt said that agreement no longer appears to exist in the current political environment.

“Apparently, not.”

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