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LA suburb doubles down on sanctuary city policies as neighboring city burns

As whole neighborhoods in Los Angeles burn to the ground, city council members in nearby Long Beach voted to double down on their sanctuary city policies, vowing to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations.

Long Beach joins an ever-growing list of Democrat-controlled cities and states vowing to resist the Trump administration's plans to crack down on illegal immigration. Among other provisions, the measure allocates an additional $200,000 in city funding to give immigrants facing deportation free legal representation.

Local outlet the Long Beach Post reported that the council voted on Tuesday to further strengthen the "Long Beach Values Act," originally passed during the first Trump presidency in 2017. 

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Speaking before the vote, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, a Democrat, said: "Today, we find ourselves preparing for again an administration that outwardly challenged some of our values and beliefs."

"It’s going to be a challenge – these next few years – but I’m confident, if we continue to work together, continue to support one another, we’re going to get through this," said Richardson. "No matter who is in power in Washington, I believe that we have a responsibility to stand firm on our principles, so all of our residents feel safe and seen and protected regardless of how they pray, or who they love or where they were born."

The $200,000 in extra funding adds to an already-existing $1.1 million available to immigrants for legal representation against removal through the "Long Beach Justice Fund."

The measure also prohibits third-party city contractors from sharing city data with federal immigration enforcement and requests that other city authorities – including police oversight, the city attorney, city prosecutor and city auditor – formally commit to complying with the Long Beach Values Act.

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The measure’s passage was celebrated by local immigrant rights activist group Órale, which called it a "significant step towards true sanctuary status that will tangibly improve our community members' lives."

While Richardson projected confidence in resisting Trump’s agenda, the Long Beach Post reported that a Dec. 31 memo by Deputy City Manager Meredith Reynolds to city officials warned that Long Beach stands to lose millions in federal funding if they do not cooperate with immigration authorities.

Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in November that local officials who obstruct ICE or federal authorities from enforcing the law will face consequences.

"Don’t cross that line because it is a felony to harbor and conceal an illegal alien from ICE," said Homan.   

‘Guardian Angels’ founder slams New York sanctuary city policies after woman set on fire

After announcing his citizen law enforcement group, the "Guardian Angels," would be returning to patrol the New York subway, Curtis Sliwa is pushing back against New York Mayor Eric Adams and slamming the city’s migrant sanctuary policies, saying: "We’re in a crime crisis." 

Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be resuming safety patrols on New York subway trains after a woman was burned to death on the New York City subway during Christmas week. The New York Post reported Sliwa saying the group would resume its patrols of the subway, walking up and down the inside of the trains "day and night."

The Guardian Angels founder called the brutal subway murder the "deadly consequences of NYC remaining a sanctuary city."  

"We have 56,000 migrants identified as criminals by ICE roaming our streets, and vulnerable homeless folks left sleeping on our subways because shelters are filled and dangerous," he said on X. "But Adams and City Hall pretend the city is safe and under control! While everyday New Yorkers see disturbing crime right before our eyes every single day!"

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Recognizable by their distinctive red berets and jackets, Sliwa founded the Guardian Angels in 1979, and the group became a regular presence on the subway during many of the city’s most crime and homicide-ridden years. 

Currently, murders on the New York City subway are up by 60%, according to the New York Post. The outlet reported in September that eight people had been killed on subway trains in New York City, up from five during the same period in 2023.

After last week’s brutal killing, Sliwa announced the Guardian Angels would be making a return to the New York subway and beefing up its presence on trains throughout the city. He said group members would be conducting wellness checks on homeless individuals and alerting police and subway authorities when there are problems.

"We’re going to have to increase our numbers, increase the training and increase our presence as we did back in 1979," said Sliwa. "We went from 13 to 1,000 back then within a period of a year. Because the need was there. The need is here now once again. We’re going to step up. We’re going to make sure we have a visual presence just like we had in the ’70s, 80’s and ’90s."

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Despite this, Adams’ office slammed the Guardian Angels’ announcement.

Kayla Mamelak Altus, a representative for Adams, told Fox News Digital that the mayor has "surged 1,000 police officers per day into the subways, has brought down overall crime, and transit crime, delivering real action — not theatrics."

"Mayor Adams is committed to improving the lives of New Yorkers, which is why he frequently rides the subway to speak directly with everyday riders about how we can make it safer," said Altus. 

"But he knows there’s still more work to be done," Altus added. "Unlike others who only seek attention with meaningless stunts, Mayor Adams remains focused on real solutions."

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In response, Sliwa urged Adams to station more police officers in the subway and challenged the mayor to join him in doing regular daily patrols on the subway to see how bad the problems have gotten since the surge in migrants in the city. 

"Head into the subway and patrol yourself," Sliwa said, speaking directly to Adams. "I'll match him. I go four hours a day, even with my busy schedule. The mayor has a busy schedule. He can run one patrol with his police. I'll run a patrol with the Guardian Angels. That’s two more patrols we will have that we didn't have before." 

"We're in a crime crisis, and the mayor should be happy to accept anybody's help at this time," he told Fox News Digital. "So, if we're willing to patrol on the subways where it's desperately needed in the cars as they're moving, why would the mayor or anyone say it's theatrics?"

"The mayor and the governor have not met their primary responsibility, which is to provide public safety to the people in the subway," he went on. "So, if you're unwilling to do the job or maybe you can't and won't admit it, they should be welcoming all the help they can get from an organization that is renowned for 46 years of service to New Yorkers, asking nothing in return." 

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He said that most of the attacks are being carried out by "emotionally disturbed people" who live in the subways. 

"These attacks can occur anytime, anywhere, any place, to anybody, in any part of this city, and especially the subway," he explained. "Shame on us for letting that happen. We need to rescue these people and get them mental health care. Shame on the fact that the mayor spent billions of our tax dollars housing migrants, but not our own citizens who live in the subways. The subway trains have become moving hotels.

"If the mayor was doing a good job… nobody would be asking for the Guardian Angels to patrol the subways," he added. "The people want police, and if they don't have police, they're more than happy to accept the service of the volunteer Guardian Angels."

Oregon AG creates sanctuary ‘toolkit’ ahead of likely Trump-Homan illegal immigration crackdown

Oregon’s top law enforcement officer rolled out what she called bilingual "Sanctuary Promise Community Toolkit" to help residents refresh their knowledge of the Beaver State’s relevant laws.

"Every person has the right to live, work, play, and learn safely in Oregon, period," Oregon Democratic Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said in a statement announcing the toolkit.

In 1987, Oregon lawmakers passed then-Rep. Rocky Barilla’s HB 2314 in response to several raids by INS – the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service, which transformed into USCIS, DHS and ICE in 2003.

The law is largely considered the first "sanctuary state" policy in the country.

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Rosenblum explicitly acknowledged Oregon’s place in that regard, noting the law prohibits state and local law enforcement resources from being used to apprehend suspects charged solely with being present in the U.S. without papers.

A press release from the attorney general’s office noted Barilla’s bill passed "nearly unanimously" in 1987 but that by 2024, sanctuary laws have become an "intensely partisan issue."

"I asked my Civil Rights Unit here at the Oregon DOJ to do whatever we could to provide the people, businesses, and local governments of our state with easy-to-read materials to help them know their rights and educate others, and I’m so pleased with what they’ve put together," Rosenblum said in her statement.

In the toolkit, documents relating to the 1987 law’s passage are available for easy public consumption, along with a "conversation" with figures involved in getting the law passed.

The toolkit includes several FAQs, including "how do I prepare myself and my family for encounters with ICE or other federal immigration authorities?" – "Is there a place I can call to report ICE or other federal immigration authorities active right now in my community?" and "After an encounter with ICE or other federal immigration authorities, what information should I write down?"

Oregon also hosts a statewide "hotline" to report sanctuary law violations.

There are also links to press coverage, as well as a separate "law enforcement bias response" toolkit.

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Rosenblum said she also recommends Oregonians discuss the issue with family in the next few weeks to "know your rights… and make a plan for what to do if immigration officials come to your home or place of business."

"Knowing your rights in advance is essential," she said.

President-elect Trump tapped former ICE Director Thomas Homan as his "border czar" – succeeding Vice President Kamala Harris.

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Homan has pledged a no-holds-barred crackdown on immigration law violators and illegal immigrants.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek for comment.

NY Republican compares sanctuary states to Confederacy: ‘We had a Civil War’ over federal law

New York’s last Republican governor said this week that sanctuary jurisdictions are reminiscent of the Confederate states that balked at federal law and waged war against the Union.

Former Gov. George Pataki was speaking with businessman and 2013 New York City GOP mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis on 77WABC radio when he was asked about the state of the Big Apple in that regard.

"Right now, I'm concerned and people are concerned and rightfully so. But it comes down to leadership. We've had worse times in the past. I remember back in the '60s and then in the early '80s. And things got infinitely better," Pataki said.

"And it comes down to having the right people with the right policies running the city, running the state and running the country. I think we're going to have the right policies in Washington. Now we just need to have the right leadership doing the right thing in Albany and in New York City."

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Catismatidis said Trump has "put his foot down" against sanctuary policies, and quipped that he now has a "very large-sized shoe" given his overwhelming electoral victory.

Pataki agreed, adding that if the U.S. is to be based on the rule of law, it should apply equally everywhere.

"Cities or states that can pretend that the federal rules don't apply to them are just violating the Constitution and violating our freedom… We had a Civil War over this," he said.  "And, it became plain that under the Constitution, every city, every state has to follow the law of this country."

Prior to the war-triggering attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, President James Buchanan, a Pennsylvania Democrat, was critical of Republican abolitionists and lamented his home state's opposition to the Fugitive Slave Law. 

Following Illinois Republican Abraham Lincoln's 1860 victory, southern states began to secede, which Buchanan opposed, while believing a military response was the wrong option. The election of Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery into federal territories, alarmed Deep South states, with South Carolina leading the way in declaring secession from the Union on Dec. 20, 1860.

Pataki went on to say the nation’s largest city is bucking the feds in that regard, along with Los Angeles and other cities.

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"Trump must make them follow the law or cut off all federal funding. And I think that would be a very positive step to bring America together and to bring us forward," he said.

The two discussed how New York City Council enacted a sanctuary city policy, and whether the state or federal government may step in against it.

"I think [Mayor Eric] Adams may go along with [Trump intervention]," Pataki predicted, as other observers have viewed the mayor as being critical of sanctuary city policy but hamstrung by the 45-6 Democratic-majority city council.

The former governor said he is optimistic about the New Year and that Trump must "dramatically reform" Washington instead of "tinker[ing] around the edges."

He noted Trump does have limits, in that he cannot statutorily rein in New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg or other far-left officials.

Current Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has clashed with the MAGA wing of the Republican Party at times, once vociferously opposed another predecessor’s successful bid to make illegal immigrants eligible to receive driver’s licenses.

In 2007, Hochul balked at Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s policy while she was serving as clerk of Erie County – which includes Buffalo. 

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However, when she became governor upon the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, she reversed course.

In November, Hochul indicated she would be the "first one" to call Immigration & Customs Enforcement to help the feds capture migrants or illegal immigrants accused of another crime and "get them out of here."

However, she maintained during her remarks in Queens that she supports helping otherwise law-abiding migrants find work in New York.

Trump’s pick for "border czar," Tom Homan, notably hails from the Watertown area and has condemned his home state’s current policies.

Illegal immigrant sexually abused child in the U.S. after being removed from the country five times

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in New York arrested a Mexican-born illegal immigrant who sexually abused a child after being removed from the country five times.

According to ICE, the criminal immigrant, 36-year-old Raymond Rojas Basilio, sexually abused an 11-year-old child in the U.S.

Rojas committed this crime after being removed from the country five times and then re-entering once again on an unknown date and at an unknown location, without admission by an immigration official.

The New York Police Department arrested Rojas on Aug. 28, 2023. He was then convicted of forcible touching of the intimate parts of an 11-year-old victim by the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Sept. 20, 2024. The court sentenced him to 60 days of incarceration and six years’ probation and required him to register as a sex offender.

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New York ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents then arrested Rojas outside his residence in Queens on Dec. 17.

U.S. Border Patrol first arrested Rojas, following three separate attempts to unlawfully enter the U.S. near Douglas, Arizona, in May 2002.

Border protection officials then arrested Rojas again on Jan. 6, 2012, at Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, when he attempted to enter the country using a fake Arizona Driver's License and U.S. birth certificate. Just days later, on Jan. 11, border authorities again removed Rojas after he attempted to enter the country using fraudulent documents at another port of entry in Nogales.   

New York ICE Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo commented on the arrest, saying: "This criminal has repeatedly shown he has absolutely no regard for our nation’s laws, as evidenced by his repeated attempts to unlawfully or fraudulently enter the United States."

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"As this case illustrates, it only takes one successful unlawful entry to do irreparable harm to a member of our community," he continued.

He said that local "non-cooperation policies" in place had prevented ICE from taking immediate custody of Rojas following his sentencing by the Brooklyn court. 

"However, due to the diligence of our officers, ERO New York City was able to rapidly apprehend this public safety threat before he could harm any other New Yorkers," said Genalo.

According to the statement, Rojas is currently in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico. 

ICE nabs several migrants convicted of child molestation, one convicted murderer, in blue state suburbs

EXCLUSIVE: Baltimore ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officials on Thursday arrested eight migrants, including four convicted of child molestation and one murderer, in suburban Maryland. 

The arrests happened during an exclusive Fox News ride-along with the government agency. 

One of the migrants apprehended was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor and exposing himself in public several times. Another migrant, from the Philippines, was previously convicted of molesting a 10-year-old girl.

According to ICE, the one migrant convicted of murder was living in the U.S. on a permanent visa status.

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"The people we are out for are the worst of the worst," Baltimore field office Director Matthew Elliston told Fox News' David Spunt. "It's not the average person who is in the country illegally. If we are targeting you, there is a reason."

The goal is simple for the Baltimore ICE Field Office: arrest and then deport as many illegal migrants with criminal records as possible. ICE agents’ goal at the start of the day was to capture eight targets, and all eight targets are now in custody.

Now all eight of those migrants are behind bars and await hearings in front of immigration judges and potential deportation.

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According to ICE data obtained by the House Homeland Security Committee in September, there are at least 650,000 criminal illegal immigrants on the agency’s "non-detained docket," meaning they are free in the U.S. interior. Of those, 14,944 are murderers and over 20,000 have been convicted of sexual assault.

Although not officially a sanctuary state, Maryland, which is led by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and a majority Democratic state assembly, is considered immigrant friendly. The city of Baltimore, meanwhile, has an official policy that does not allow law enforcement to ask residents about their immigration status.

ICE data indicates that Baltimore ERO arrested 570 migrants with either a criminal conviction or a pending criminal charge in fiscal year 2024.

Five more migrants detained in Aurora, Colorado, home invasion possibly linked to brutal Venezuelan gang

Police in Aurora, Colorado, have detained five more migrants in an armed home invasion and kidnapping that occurred early Tuesday morning.

This brings to 19 the number of migrants detained in the incident, which involved two victims being beaten, bound and kidnapped in a Denver suburb

A spokesperson for ICE told Fox News Digital 16 of those in custody have been identified as Venezuelan nationals in the U.S. without authorization and "are suspected of being members or associates of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua."

Tren de Aragua, or TdA, is a violent international criminal group that has been terrorizing Aurora residents for over a year.

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The ICE official said the 16 suspects "will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings or hearings before an immigration judge."

Aurora Police Department Chief Todd Chamberlain said Tuesday the home invasion was "without question a gang incident."

However, Joe Moylan, a representative for the Aurora Police Department, told Fox News Digital police are still working to identify the suspects and have not yet been able to officially confirm whether the incident was gang-related.

Police were called to an Aurora housing complex, The Edge at Lowry Apartments, just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in response to a reported armed home invasion in which victims were assaulted and taken to another apartment in the same complex.

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One of the victims, a man, sustained a stab wound but is expected to survive. Both victims are still at a hospital for treatment. 

Moylan said Aurora police served an additional warrant at the apartment complex late Tuesday afternoon, resulting in their taking in the five additional migrants for questioning. He said police are working in conjunction with federal authorities, including Homeland Security Investigators who are helping to identify everyone involved.

Moylan said the Aurora police chief will likely address the incident further in another press conference once more details are confirmed.

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Roger Hudson, a city council member in nearby Castle Pines, Colorado, who has had contact with the apartment owner, told Fox News Digital most people in the area believe Tren de Aragua is behind the incident. In recent months, the gang has only become "more powerful, more dangerous and more desperate," he said. 

Hudson bashed the sanctuary policies passed by Colorado and the City of Denver, which he said have made it more difficult for state and local law enforcement to protect Coloradans from the likes of TdA.

"These policies make all of our communities less safe," he said. "This is lawlessness in the West, and you can't have that. That's not who we are as a country. That’s not who we are as a state."

'Evil terrorists': House GOP border hawks rally around Trump's deportation plan targeting 'cartel thugs'

Members of the House Border Security Caucus pledged to back President-elect Trump and his border czar Tom Homan’s mass deportation plans and vowed to crack down on "particularly pernicious" sanctuary city policies protecting "evil terrorists" and "cartel thugs."  

Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, decried the historic level of illegal immigration under the Biden administration and the subsequent dramatic rise in migrant crime and gang activity, including the violent Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua.

He called for the rest of Congress to stand behind Trump’s border security plans, saying that "every single one of these cartel thugs and evil terrorists needs to be deported immediately."

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"The American people can finally breathe a very big and deep sigh of relief," said Babin. "The disastrous Biden administration is coming to an end and with that, that will be an end of open borders, asylum abuse, lawlessness, sanctuary cities – all these will end as well."

"But for us, as members of the House Border Security Conference," Babin went on, "our job is just begun."

California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock also said congressional Republicans’ "first priority" must be passing the Secure the Border Act. He said this would "assure that future presidents cannot subvert the law as Biden has." 

"President Trump proved that simply enforcing laws can produce secure borders," he said. "But President Biden proved that a president intent on leaving our borders wide open can do so as well."

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McClintock also said Congress needs to sanction sanctuary jurisdictions that are protecting criminal illegal immigrants from deportation.

Texas Republican Rep. Michael Cloud backed this idea as well, saying that Republicans in Congress need to "steel our spine" to defund agencies and cities that serve as magnets to draw illegal immigrants into the country.

"As Congress, we need to defund the wrong things. We need to stop sending these agencies' money to do bad things. And that includes the magnet that continues to draw people here through wrong and illegal processes," he said. "So, we will have to take the tough votes. We will have to do the job that's required of us in Congress… to make sure that we make good on the promise that we have given the American people."

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Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs called the sanctuary city issue "particularly pernicious."

He mentioned how his home state governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs, has pledged to resist Trump’s efforts to secure the border, saying she "unequivocally" "will not tolerate" the plan. Hobbs is one of several other Democratic leaders in over a dozen sanctuary states and dozens more sanctuary cities who have similarly pledged to resist the mass deportations. 

"The problem is this, when you prevent the arrest of a criminal, illegal alien, you prevent the safety of the community," said Biggs. "When you ignore the law, the community is put at risk."  

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Biggs said mayors and governors doubling down on sanctuary policies and pledging resistance are "going to find themselves in hot water," and will likely face obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting criminal cartel charges.

"The cartel knows that Donald Trump means business and Tom Homan means business," he said. "And, hopefully, Congress means business."

'Going to be painful': Venezuelan expert sounds alarm about what's next if sanctuary city policies continue

An expert on the international criminal group Tren de Aragua (TdA) is warning that if sanctuary city and state policies are allowed to continue, the U.S. will soon be facing a slate of targeted assassinations across the U.S.

"The next step is targeted assassinations," said Jose Gustavo Arocha, a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan army. "That is what has happened in Venezuela, what is happening in Latin America and that will happen here in the U.S."

Tren de Aragua, which means "Train from Aragua," is a massive criminal and terrorist organization that originated a decade ago in a Venezuelan prison. In addition to Venezuela, the group has already established a significant presence in Southern American countries, including Colombia, Peru and Chile and is present in 30 major U.S. cities.

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According to Arocha, who fled the country after being imprisoned by socialist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro for eight months, TdA is a "state-sponsored, Maduro regime organization," formed and trained by the Venezuelan government to sow chaos, violence and discord throughout the Western hemisphere.

"Right now is the right moment to take action," he said. "If you let them grow, they are going to be more embedded in the communities, it's going to be harder to take any action against them, and it's going to be painful for U.S. society."

He said that recent movements to defund the police and enshrine sanctuary city and sanctuary state policies into law only further embolden and enable TdA to carry out its crimes with impunity.

If policies like this are allowed to continue, he said TdA is "going to be all over the United States" like a "disease."

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"When I listened last year to the 'defund the police' [movement], I said … ‘something is going to happen here because it is the same playbook," he explained. "Because if you don't have rule of law, you don't have police, it’s like a special ground for this kind of organization to establish and then they control the society because there are no police, there is no rule of law. They're going to do whatever they want."

Who will be in Tren de Aragua’s crosshairs? Arocha said TdA’s primary targets will be law enforcement officials, such as ordinary police officers, police chiefs and sheriffs, as well as any elected officials who attempt to crack down on them.

Besides law enforcement and political leaders, Arocha said it is likely that TdA will also target enemies and refugees of the Maduro regime.

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According to Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, the TdA assassinations in the U.S. have already begun.

She pointed to the case of TdA member Yurwin Salazar who she said beat, tortured and killed a former Venezuelan police officer named Jose Luis Sanchez Valera in Miami in November 2023. In addition to the murder, Salazar also stole the former police officer’s life savings.

Agreeing with Arocha, Vaughan said that sanctuary policies are especially harmful to efforts to combat TdA.

"The sanctuary policies have to go," she said. "It's critical that these local law enforcement agencies are able to share information with ICE and vice versa."

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"It's no coincidence that so many of these TDA members are in sanctuary jurisdictions like Chicago, Colorado and New York. That is not a coincidence. They know that they can hide behind their sanctuary policies and that is one reason they choose these communities because they know that the local authorities are not going to turn them over to immigration agents for removal," she explained.

While some individual states, such as Texas, have taken significant steps to root out TdA, she said that ultimately the federal government will have to lead the effort and incorporate all aspects of government to dismantle the group.

"It's too big a problem to solve at the local level," she said. "And one of the most important elements of that campaign to eliminate TdA has to be building more effective partnerships with local law enforcement agencies, particularly in the areas where TdA has been operating, some of which are sanctuary jurisdictions. So, this artificial obstruction between local law enforcement agencies and ICE that's been imposed for political reasons has to end."

Trump border czar meeting with NYC Mayor Adams despite sanctuary city status

Incoming border czar Tom Homan will meet with New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the Big Apple on Thursday where they will discuss the city’s ongoing migrant crisis and ways of deporting criminal illegal migrants who have been terrorizing the city’s streets.

The pair is scheduled to meet at City Hall at 1 p.m. and then hold a press conference at 3 p.m., according to the mayor’s office. 

The main focus of the meeting is to weed out migrant criminals in the sanctuary city and deport them, as opposed to those who are undocumented, a source familiar with the matter tells the New York Post

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Homan, a hardliner on immigration, has vowed to enforce Trump’s promised crackdown on illegal immigration and carry out his mass deportation agenda. Homan has said he wants to primarily deport those migrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety. 

Adams has at times been critical of the federal government, including the Biden Administration, for its lack of financial support over the last four years as New York City has struggled to cater for the unprecedented influx of migrants -- costing taxpayers billions of dollars. The blue city has seen more than 225,000 migrants arrive since 2022, a surge that coincided with a spike in migrant crime in the city with the bloodthirsty Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua getting a foothold in the city. 

Migrant arrivals have dropped sharply in recent weeks, with Adams attributing the dip to executive orders by the Biden administration that have limited the ability to claim asylum in the U.S. and have been tied to a sharp drop in apprehensions at the border itself. He also linked it to strategies taken by the city itself to help relocate migrants, including case management and offering tickets to 47,000 migrants so they can reach their "preferred destinations." 

Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding to sanctuary cities who do not cooperate with Trump’s deportation agenda. 

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The city’s sanctuary city status stems from a 1979 class action suit brought against then-Gov. Hugh L. Carey and Mayor Ed Koch that resulted in the "Callahan Decree" – which instituted a right-to-shelter for homeless men. It has since been used as a tool to attempt to shelter homeless migrants who have descended on the city. Adams has previously criticized it being applied to migrants. 

Adams has been taking a more hawkish approach to illegal immigration in recent weeks, announcing that 25 shelters are in the city and state are being closed in the next few months. He has also suggested that immigrants charged with crimes do not necessarily deserve due process.

"We’re going to continue looking for more sites to consolidate and close, and more opportunities to save taxpayer money, as we continue to successfully manage this response," Adams said on Tuesday.

Adams has taken a more muscular approach to illegal immigration than some of his Democratic counterparts in other blue cities across the country, some of whom have promised resistance to the plan by the incoming Trump administration.

He has indicated his willingness to work with Homan on the deportation of illegal immigrants with criminal convictions while stressing the importance of work authorization, case management and protection from deportation for those who have not committed violent crimes while here.

"I would like to speak with our border czar and find out what his plans are. Where our common grounds are, we can work together. And I strongly believe, my history is sitting down with those across the aisle with different ways of thinking and sit down and share my ideas," Adams said last week

"I believe I have some ideas that could deal with this issue, and we can reach what the American people have been saying to us: secure our borders, address the people who are committing violent acts in our country and make sure that … our citizens are going to be safe."

Adams apparent shift to the right even left some speculating that Adams may rejoin the Republican Party, a prospect he didn’t rule out last week. 

Meanwhile, voters in the state of New York support the deportation of illegal immigrants, according to a new poll. The Siena College New York State Poll found that 54% of respondents say the state should support any Trump administration efforts to deport migrants living illegally in the state, compared to 35% of respondents who oppose the plans.

Strong support for President-elect Donald Trump's deportation plan was found throughout the state, including New York City.

Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Protesters attempt to stop removal of hundreds of migrants from public-funded housing

Activists and several elected officials gathered outside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office in the Capitol in Albany on Monday to protest the closure of two hotels housing several hundred migrants in the state's capital region. 

New York City has a "right to shelter" law, requiring the city to provide shelter for anyone who asks for it and has no other options.

Protest organizers said they were advocating for Hochul to intervene to prevent the migrants’ eviction and to provide new state funding to shelter the migrants. 

Speaking during the protest, Angelica Perez-Delgado, president of the pro-migrant nonprofit Ibero-American Action League, said, "Our need right now is to ensure that people in our hotels are not evicted. We need leadership and money from Gov. Hochul right now to fund at least six months of housing and related services."

BLUE STATE TO SHUTTER OVER DOZEN MIGRANT SHELTERS AS TRUMP’S SET TO IMPLEMENT DEPORTATION AGENDA

The migrants in Albany have been staying at a Ramada Plaza and Holiday Inn Express, both of which are being paid for by the New York City government and are set to close this month. 

The hundreds in Albany are just a fraction of the 58,000 migrants being housed by the city of New York and the more than 223,000 migrants who have received taxpayer aid since 2022. 

According to a report released this year by the New York City Comptroller’s Office, the city is projected to spend $987 million in two years on contracted hotels for tens of thousands of migrants. In total, the city is projected to spend more than $12 billion in responding to the migrant surge through fiscal 2025.

Since the election of President-elect Donald Trump last month, however, the city has moved to scale back its shelter program, closing some 12 shelters by the end of the year.

NYC HOME TO NEARLY 60K ‘CRIMINAL’ MIGRANTS: REPORT

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been behind many of the moves to crack down on services for migrants, saying, "We have been wasting taxpayers’ money for far too long." 

The city has already shuttered two hotels-turned-migrant shelters: the Hotel Merit in Manhattan and the Quality Inn JFK in Queens. Eight more shelters in Dutchess, Erie, Orange and Westchester counties are also set to close by the end of the year. 

The protest against the closures was organized by a group called Columbia County Sanctuary Movement and a coalition of local nonprofits. 

One of the protest leaders, Bryan McCormack, co-executive director of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, said migrant families "should not be forced to abandon their jobs or uproot their lives to return to New York City shelters."

MAYOR ADAMS CALLS FOR 'INVOLUNTARY REMOVAL' OF PEOPLE WHO ARE 'A DANGER TO OTHERS' ON THE STREETS

Speaking with Fox News Digital after the rally, McCormack said it is important to quickly find the migrants shelter as the harsh New York winter approaches. He also said New York City has used the crisis and migrants as a "political football" and "mismanaged the whole process." 

He said the migrants being sheltered in the hotels have "already established gainful employment and a life here" and have "been a major contributor to New York's communities, cultures and economies."

"As somebody from upstate New York, I see every day how the immigrant community has impacted our lives as New York residents, from the food that's put on our table to the revitalization of our cities through construction to caring for sick and elderly folks throughout the pandemic and on to now," he said. "So, we hope that they will be able to continue to contribute to the capital region's culture and economy and make a full integration into our community."

New York State Assembly member Matt Slater, however, told Fox News Digital that the protesters outside Hochul’s office are "out of touch" with the real feelings of New Yorkers about the migrant crisis.

TOP CONSERVATIVE GROUP REVEALS ROAD MAP TO REBUILD NEW US IMMIGRATION SYSTEM 'FROM THE ASHES'

"New Yorkers have had it," he said. "My constituents are demanding accountability. They want to make sure that we live in a state that respects the rule of law, that understands that illegal immigration is illegal. Hard stop." 

According to a Siena poll published this week, a majority of New York voters (54% to 35%) say the state should support rather than oppose the upcoming Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants in the state.

"It is a real concern for my constituents in the Hudson Valley," said Slater. "If people are protesting the fact that we're finally getting real about illegal immigration, they should open their own doors and welcome these people in. By all means, no one's stopping them. But to sit here and say that taxpayers should be fronting billions of dollars to continue to incentivize those who are breaking our laws is madness and insanity."

Slater said that though he is hopeful about the Trump administration clamping down on the border, he said New York state and city governments must also do their part.

According to Slater, New York, which is a sanctuary state, allocated $4.3 billion of taxpayer money in the latest budget to provide a host of services for migrants, like housing, clothing, food and cellphones.

"We cannot continue to allow a state government, a city government, to continue to incentivize illegal immigration by utilizing taxpayer dollars," he said. "It is wrong, and it must end."

California county votes to ramp up sanctuary policies ahead of Trump deportation push: ‘Radical policy’

San Diego County has voted to further block county cooperation with federal immigration authorities ahead of an expected deportation push by the incoming Trump administration next year – a move quickly slammed by a top local Republican.

The resolution goes further than California’s existing ‘sanctuary’ law, which generally limits law enforcement's cooperation with ICE. The vote was approved in a 3-1 vote by San Diego County’s board of supervisors.

The resolution says that the county will not provide assistance or cooperation to ICE "including by giving ICE agents access to individuals or allowing them to use County facilities for investigative interviews or other purposes, expending County time or resources responding to ICE inquiries or communicating with ICE regarding individuals’ incarceration status or release dates, or otherwise participating in any civil immigration enforcement activities."

BLUE STATE COUNTY TEES UP VOTE ON ‘KNEE-JERK’ RESOLUTION TO PROTECT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM DEPORTATION

When ICE is aware of a suspected illegal immigrant in local or state custody, it will lodge a detainer with law enforcement, typically requesting that the agency is notified ahead of their release and in some cases held until ICE can take custody of them.

ICE says this helps detain illegal immigrants without having to go into communities and gets illegal immigrant offenders off the streets. Sanctuary proponents say that such policies chill cooperation between law enforcement and otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants.

"When federal immigration authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Border Patrol, coerce local law enforcement to carry out deportations, family members are separated and community trust in law enforcement and local government is destroyed," an overview of the resolution claims. "Witnesses and victims who are undocumented or who have loved ones who are undocumented are afraid to come to the County for help, which includes calling local law enforcement. This puts the public safety of all San Diegans at risk."

ANOTHER MAJOR BLUE CITY DOUBLES DOWN ON VOW TO OBSTRUCT TRUMP'S MASS DEPORTATION PLAN

The vote comes just over a month before President-elect Trump will be sworn into office. He has pledged to launch a "historic" mass deportation operation once in office to remove millions of illegal immigrants from the country.

San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas said that California’s current sanctuary laws restricting ICE deportations don’t go far enough.

"While the California Values Act significantly expanded protection from deportation to California residents, it fell short of protecting all residents, because it allowed agencies to still notify ICE of release dates and transfers individuals to ICE without a warrant in some circumstances," she said.

The resolution echoes a similar policy enacted in 2019 by Santa Clara County. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Republican who provided the sole nay vote on the resolution, slammed the passage of the law. He previously told Fox News Digital that the move was part of an effort by some Democrats to "Trump-proof" the state.

On Tuesday he said the vote is a "direct betrayal of the people we are sworn to protect." 

"This reckless measure not only goes far beyond California's already extreme Sanctuary State laws but actively endangers our communities by shielding illegal immigrant criminals from deportation. Consider this: under this policy, law enforcement is prohibited from notifying ICE about individuals, in custody, who have committed violent and heinous crimes, including: Rape and stalking, Assault and battery, Burglary, Child abuse and more," he said.

He said he has already been in touch with members of the incoming Trump administration and "will fight relentlessly to undo this disastrous policy and ensure that illegal immigrant criminals are removed from our neighborhoods."

'We’ve turned the corner': Blue city announces shuttering of migrant shelters as numbers drop

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday the shutting down of dozens more migrant shelters, as the "sanctuary" city continues to see a drop in arrivals and as Adams continues to take a hawkish stance on illegal immigration.

Adams announced that 25 shelters are being closed in the next few months. The locations include the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Shelters are also slated to close outside of New York City in Albany, Buffalo and Poughkeepsie. 

The blue city has seen more than 225,000 migrants arrive since 2022, a surge that coincided with a spike at the southern border and also a strategy by Texas to bus migrants to cities like New York City to relieve pressure on the border state.

NYC MAYOR DELIVERS BLUNT MESSAGE TO LEFT-WING CRITICS OVER DESIRE TO MEET WITH TRUMP'S INCOMING BORDER CZAR

Now, his administration says there has been a 22-week drop in migrant arrivals into the city, allowing for the closure of many of the shelters used to house the influx.

Adams, who has been deeply critical of the federal government’s handling of the migrant crisis, linked the drop in numbers to executive orders by the Biden administration that have limited the ability to claim asylum in the U.S. and have been tied to a sharp drop in apprehensions at the border itself. 

He also linked it to strategies taken by the city itself to help relocate migrants, including reticketing and case management.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

"Thanks to our smart management strategies, we’ve turned the corner, and this additional slate of shelter closures we’re announcing today is even more proof that we’re managing this crisis better than any other city in the nation," Adams said in a statement. "Our intensive case management, paired with 30- and 60-day policies, have helped more than 170,000 migrants take their next steps on their journeys, because migrants don’t come here to live in our shelter system — they come here to pursue the American Dream." 

"We’re going to continue looking for more sites to consolidate and close, and more opportunities to save taxpayer money, as we continue to successfully manage this response," he said.

Adams has taken a more muscular approach to illegal immigration than some of his Democratic counterparts in other blue cities across the country, some of whom have promised resistance to the plan by the incoming Trump administration.

TRUMP BORDER CZAR HOMAN SAYS HE'LL MEET WITH NYC MAYOR ADAMS TO ADDRESS MIGRANT CRISIS: LETS ‘GET THIS DONE’ 

While he has stressed the importance of work authorization, case management and protection from deportation for some, he has expressed openness to working with the incoming Trump administration and border czar Thomas Homan on the deportation of illegal immigrants with criminal convictions.

"I would like to speak with our border czar and find out what his plans are. Where our common grounds are, we can work together. And I strongly believe, my history is sitting down with those across the aisle with different ways of thinking and sit down and share my ideas," he said last week. "I believe I have some ideas that could deal with this issue, and we can reach what the American people have been saying to us: secure our borders, address the people who are committing violent acts in our country and make sure that … our citizens are going to be safe."

Meanwhile, voters in the state of New York support the deportation of illegal immigrants, according to a new poll. The Siena College New York State Poll found that 54% of respondents say the state should support any Trump administration efforts to deport migrants living illegally in the state, compared to 35% of respondents who oppose the plans.

Strong support for President-elect Donald Trump's deportation plan was found throughout the state, including New York City.

Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Sanctuary city Denver spending a whopping $356 million on migrants: study

As Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston says he would be willing to go to jail over his opposition to the Trump mass-deportation plan, a new study claims the mayor’s Blue city has spent a whopping $356 million of taxpayers' hard-earned money on migrants.

The eye-popping sum, which amounts to $7,900 per foreign national in the city, was revealed by an updated analysis last week by the Common Sense Institut (CSI), a non-partisan research organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the U.S. economy. 

The group says it used city data to land on the stunning sum, which equates to 8% of the city’s 2025 budget of $4.4 billion. The figures combine the city’s budget as well as regional education and healthcare organizations.

DENVER MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON SAYS TRUMP'S MASS MIGRANT DEPORTATIONS WILL CREATE ‘TIANANMEN SQUARE MOMENT’

Denver has seen an unprecedented influx of migrants arrive in the city under the Biden-Harris administration and Johnston has already slashed city services to house and feed those migrants. Cuts included reducing services at recreation centers and stopping the planting of spring flower beds, while the city tapped into a contingency fund to pay for the spiraling costs. 

The CSI claims that the bulk of the $356 million spent on migrants was through education, with the city also splashing out on healthcare, hotels, transportation and childcare. Denver is a sanctuary city, meaning it does not enforce immigration law, nor does the city cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The group says that about 45,000 migrants have arrived in the Denver metro area since December 2022, with 16,197 migrant students enrolling in Denver metro schools.

DENVER MIGRANT ADVOCATES SAY SIX MONTHS OF FREE RENT, FOOD NOT ENOUGH: 'A SLAP IN THE FACE' AND 'OFFENSIVE'

"The total cost to Denver metro schools related to new migrant students is $228 million annually, which would equate to 1-2% of the total state K-12 education budget for the 2024-25 academic year," the group writes.

"Previous CSI reporting estimated the per-student cost of instruction and support in the Denver metro to be $14,100 per year. Assuming this cost across all recent migrant students totals $228 million.

Meanwhile, Denver doctors earlier this year said that the migrant crisis had pushed the state’s hospital system to its breaking point and was causing a humanitarian crisis. 

The CSI study estimates that emergency departments in the Denver metro area have delivered an estimated $49 million in uncompensated care to migrants. 

"With 16,760 [migrant] visits to Denver metro emergency departments from December 2022 to the present, providers would have delivered $49,124,029 of uncompensated care to migrants.

The study reports that at the height of the migrant influx in January 2024, officials estimated Denver was going to spend $180 million through 2024. Actual expenditures tracked by the city now show it will spend about $79 million.

"Of the total, 34.5% has been spent on facilities including hotels, 29.4% on personnel, 14% on services, and 11% on food," the report finds. 

Johnston said during a recent interview that he was prepared to protest against anything he believes is "illegal or immoral or un-American" in the city – including the use of military force – and was then asked if he was prepared to go to jail for standing in the way of policies enacted by the administration.

"Yeah, I'm not afraid of that, and I'm also not seeking that," Johnston said. "I think the goal is we want to be able to negotiate with reasonable people [on] how to solve hard problems."

Tom Homan, Trump's "border czar" designate, told Fox News' Sean Hannity this week that he would jail Johnston if he broke the law in shielding illegal migrants. 

 "All he has to do is look at Arizona v. U.S., and he would see he's breaking the law. But, look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing. He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail."

Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this report. 

Sanctuary states, cities should explain to DOGE why they deserve federal money: MTG

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Sunday said leaders of sanctuary states and cities should have to explain why they deserve federal dollars to a new congressional subcommittee bent on cutting government waste.

Greene, who was tapped to lead a subcommittee working with the Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), laid out how she hopes to cut government spending during an appearance on "Sunday Morning Futures."

One area Greene said she wants the subcommittee to investigate is tied to the immigration crisis.

"I'd like to talk to the governors of sanctuary states and the mayors of sanctuary cities and have them come before our committee and explain why they deserve federal dollars if they're going to harbor illegal criminal aliens in their states and their cities," she said.

‘WOULD LOVE TO’: REPUBLICANS JOSTLE FOR OPEN SPOTS ON MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE-LED DOGE PANEL

Greene specifically noted the death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was brutally murdered while jogging on the University of Georgia campus in Athens in February. Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant, was convicted in her murder. Ibarra had been granted a "humanitarian flight" from New York City to Atlanta in September 2023.

Greene also laid out a slew of other areas that could face the chopping block under the subcommittee’s plan to cut government spending.

"The way to do that is to cut programs, contracts, employees, grant programs, you name it, that are failing the American people and not serving the American people's interests," Greene said.

The congresswoman said government-funded media programs like NPR, which she claimed "spread nothing but Democrat propaganda," will be under the subcommittee’s microscope.

‘EFFICIENT AND ACCOUNTABLE’ GOP-LED DOGE BILL AIMS TO SLASH OUTFLOW OF FEDERAL DOLLARS

She also said it will investigate active government contracts and programs to see if they still "make sense" or if "their purpose has expired."

Greene mentioned government workers who have been working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic – which forced many across the workforce, both in the government and private sectors, to work from home.

"We're also looking at many – we have thousands – of buildings that the federal government owns and pays for with over $15 billion a year, but yet those government buildings stood empty and these government employees stay at home."

Greene called these points "failures" in the government’s service to the American people.

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"And we don't care about people's feelings," Green said. "We're going to be searching for the facts and we're going to be verifying if this is worth spending the… American people's hard-earned tax dollars on."

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