AG Bill Barr has declared war on sanctuary cities, and states. He has announced sweeping legal action that will be taken against them for hindering federal law enforcement. That includes trying to bar ICE from courthouses. They wouldn’t have to be there if the sanctuary areas would honor their detainers. It is far more dangerous for the agents and the public at large than having to apprehend them on the street.
Speaking at the National Sheriff’s Association 2020 Winter Legislative and Technology Conference in Washington, D.C., Barr said that the DOJ would be initiating a series of lawsuits aimed at sanctuary cities and he also said that individuals who try to hinder ICE will now face prosecution for obstruction of justice. A Massachusetts judge is currently awaiting trial for aiding and abetting an illegal alien in avoiding the ICE agent in the lobby, when she had him smuggled to the basement and set free.
Barr said:
“Let us state the reality upfront and as clearly as possible. When we are talking about sanctuary cities, we are talking about policies that are designed to allow criminal aliens to escape. These policies are not about people who came to our country illegally but have otherwise been peaceful and productive members of society. Their express purpose is to shelter aliens whom local law enforcement has already arrested for other crimes. This is neither lawful nor sensible.”
The DOJ has now filed a federal complaint against the State of New Jersey seeking declaratory and injunctive relief “against its laws that forbid state and local law enforcement from sharing vital information about criminal aliens with DHS,” Barr said.
That was a reference to New Jersey Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive 2018-6, which the DOJ says illegally bars officials from sharing the immigration status and release dates of individuals in custody. It also requires New Jersey law enforcement to “promptly notify a detained individual, in writing and in a language the individual can understand” if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) files an immigration detainer request for the individual.
Additionally, “we are filing a complaint seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against King County, Washington, for the policy … that forbids DHS from deporting aliens from the United States using King County International Airport,” Barr said.