The acting U.S. deputy attorney general is focusing on a sheriff from upstate New York who released a criminal migrant back into the community. This comes as the Trump administration is increasing its efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.
Emil Bove III, who was appointed acting deputy attorney general last week and previously served on President Donald Trump’s personal legal team, stated that the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York was investigating the “failure” of Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne, a Democrat.
Bove stated in a release on Thursday, January 30, “Yesterday, a defendant with a history of violence and no legal status was released into the community, despite the warrant.” “Federal agents put themselves in danger and chased the defendant in unsafe conditions.”
Bove pointed out that “the U.S. Attorney’s commitment to investigate these circumstances for potential prosecution” has brought attention to the ongoing conflict between federal authorities and local sanctuary policies. The city of Ithaca, which is the seat of Tompkins County, has adopted these measures.
Ithaca is also home to Cornell University, which has made student safety a priority as border crossings became a national issue during the time that former President Biden was in office.
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According to a lawsuit that Fox News Digital has seen, Jesus Romero-Hernandez, a 27-year-old Mexican citizen, was removed from the United States six times between July and September of 2016.
Last month, Romero pled guilty to an assault offense in New York state and was sentenced to time served. Nevertheless, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office released him on January 28, even though a magistrate court had approved a federal arrest order for him.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate actions that endanger law enforcement and make their jobs harder than they already are, as they work to protect us all,” Bove stated. “We will use every tool at our disposal to prevent sanctuary city policies from impeding and obstructing lawful federal operations designed to make America safe again and end the national crisis arising from four years of failed immigration policy.”
He stated that the U.S. attorney’s office in Syracuse, New York, had pledged “to investigate these circumstances for potential prosecution.”
The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office responded to Bove’s remark with a statement of their own, calling Bove’s comments “false and offensive.” Osborne was said to have “acted consistently” with local and state policy, according to the agency.
“There was no interference with federal immigration enforcement efforts,” according to the sheriff’s office stated. “DOJ’s assertion that the Tompkins County Sheriff did anything to put federal law enforcement officers in danger is false and offensive.”
“The safety of all law enforcement is our top priority. In contrast, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were notified of when the individual in question was going to be released and had every opportunity to come to the jail to obtain the individual in question without any need for a pursuit or other incident.”
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Sanctuary city
The acting deputy attorney general’s public comment reflects the White House’s plan to increase deportations throughout the U.S., even in sanctuary cities.
The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office and the Ithaca Police Department (IPD) are sanctuary city jurisdictions, which include different measures to bar local law enforcement from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“The City of Ithaca said that, according to city law, IPD officers did not take part in immigration enforcement activities.” The City Code clearly states that cops cannot help federal immigration agencies. Their main job is to deal with local crime, not to check people’s immigration status.
