Orange County Has Released More Than 2,000 Criminal Illegal Immigrants in Recent Years Due to California’s Sanctuary Law
Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes released data this week showing how California’s SB54 sanctuary law allowed for over 2,000 illegal immigrants with outstanding ICE detainers to be released from custody over the last two years, with 411 of those later rearrested for additional charges.
Barnes’s data drew praise from acting ICE Director Matthew Albence, who released a statement Wednesday saying that “this is exactly what ICE has said time and again.”
“These policies do nothing but ensure that criminals are released back into the community, where many re-offend, instead of being turned over to ICE,” Albence said. “These are preventable crimes, and more importantly, preventable victims. As the data released by Sheriff Barnes clearly demonstrates, all communities are safer when local law enforcement works with ICE.”
California’s SB 54 restricts law enforcement from notifying, transferring, and communicating with ICE regarding certain offenders. The Trump administration has petitioned the Supreme Court to strike down the statute
Barnes’s data shows that in 2019, 1,015 illegal immigrants were released from Orange County Jail with outstanding ICE detainers, with 238 of those — over 23 percent — later rearrested on additional charges. In 2018, a total of 1,106 inmates were released without notification given to ICE, and 173 of those ended up being rearrested by local law enforcement.
Barnes said the data proved that “SB 54 has made our community less safe” and that “the two-year social science experiment with sanctuary laws must end.” He also slammed the policy as leaving police unable “to protect our immigrant community.”
“The law has resulted in new crimes because my deputies were unable to communicate with their federal partners about individuals who committed serious offenses and present a threat to our community if released,” he said.
