President Donald Trump’s pick to run Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) called for a crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities and said that those politicians who back sanctuary status should be charged with crimes. ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan said the Department of Justice needs “to file charges against the sanctuary cities” and “hold back their funding,” The Hill reports.
Homan emphasized that politicians enforcing sanctuary city policies need to be held personally accountable.
“We gotta take [sanctuary cities] to court, and we gotta start charging some of these politicians with crimes,” he told Fox News.
Homan’s comments come amid a discussion on the move by California Governor Jerry Brown to sign a bill into law that gives the whole of California sanctuary status. That seemed to infuriated Homan, who is an immigration hardliner.
“I think it’s terrible–you got the state of California that wants to put politics ahead of public safety, ahead of officer safety. What they have done has forced my officers to arrest dangerous criminals on their turf, in their homes and places of business, rather than arresting them in the safety and security of a county jail. It’s ridiculous to annoyingly and intentionally put law enforcement at risk,” he said.
Homan continued by saying that ICE would not go away and announced that he would significantly increase their enforcement presence in California.
“California better hold on tight. There’s about to see a lot more special agents, a lot more deportation hours in the state of California,” he said.
Homan has previously talked tough on undocumented immigrants while testifying before Congress in June. He said that those who enter the country illegally should be concerned.
“You violated a law in this country, and I’ll tell you, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t be part of this country and not respect its laws,” he said.
Homan was announced as Trump’s pick to permanently lead the department last month.
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