California Gov. Gavin Newsom; Santa Clara County Main Jail (Getty)
The data comes as debate over "sanctuary" jurisdictions, those that limit or ban local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, has intensified as President Donald Trump has doubled down on his campaign promise of mass deportations.
Trump has hinted at federal action against the jurisdictions in recent weeks, including a Truth Social post Thursday in which the president threatened to withhold federal funding.
"No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims," Trump wrote in the post. "They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!"
Meanwhile, the ICE data provided insight into which jurisdictions were the least compliant with the agency’s detainer requests. Those numbers show that more than half (52%) of the declined detainer requests were from jails in California, which is considered a sanctuary state by CIS.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has overseen the sanctuary state of California, the state with the highest portion of declined ICE detainers. (Getty Images)
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Cook County Jail in Illinois and Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in Virginia were also responsible for a large share of released criminal aliens, with both declining more than 1,000 ICE detainers during the same period.
"What’s happening in these jurisdictions is unconscionable," Aguilar said. "Their leaders evidently don’t believe that illegal immigrants that have been charged or convicted with crimes should be removed from their communities. And by ignoring ICE detainers and releasing them into the community, they’re putting in danger the lives and property of their citizens."
Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ice-reveals-sanctuary-jurisdictions-have-released-most-criminal-aliens