ICE following law, protecting communities
In deep blue Massachusetts, a pair of judges is blasting ICE for detaining and deporting illegal immigrants charged with crimes while their court cases are still pending.
As the Boston Herald reported, the judges cited a new case in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stepped in and deported an illegal immigrant before his criminal case wrapped up, and said ICE didn’t let the courts or prosecutors know that would be happening.
“We reiterate our request for written confirmation that ICE will cease its practice of removing state criminal defendants pending trial without advance notice to the court and the relevant district attorney,” the judges wrote in a letter they sent to acting ICE Field Office Director Todd Lyons on Thursday.
ICE has received, at best, a frosty reception in Massachusetts courthouses, from a state Supreme Judicial Court ruling forbidding courts and jails from holding people on ICE detainer requests who would otherwise be let out, to sanctuary policies like Boston’s “Trust Act,” which impedes Hub police from working with ICE’s deportation wing. Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan are in the middle of a federal suit aimed at restricting ICE from operating in courthouses.
Why would ICE want to tip its hand that illegal immigrants facing criminal charges were in line for deportation?
“It is an affront to justice,” Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants and Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey wrote in the letter.
Actually, it’s the law, as spelled out in an Executive Order signed by President Trump in January 2017.
The Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States order prioritizes the removal of illegal immigrants who: (a) Have been convicted of any criminal offense; (b) Have been charged with any criminal offense, where such charge has not been resolved; (c) Have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense.
ICE is doing its job.
But in Massachusetts, the prevailing, progressive mindset dictates that those who break the law, in this case by entering the country illegally, should feel comfortable in doing so. There shouldn’t be any looming fears of being caught by ICE agents and deported.
The best way to avoid apprehension by ICE agents and deportation is to come to America through legal means. There are 74 border patrol stations throughout the country, and the U.S. naturalizes approximately 700,00 to 750,000 citizens a year, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Yes, there is a huge backlog of applications for citizenship, and immigrant activists could do much to advocate for change in this area, so more people can enjoy the full benefits of life as a legal citizen.
While some in political and judicial circles may not like Trump’s executive order on deporting illegal immigrants charged with crimes who have pending cases, the order stands. ICE agents are not going rogue in enforcing it.
Last year, Lyons defended the presence of ICE in courthouses. “An ICE officer is there for a specific public safety threat. Look at what our arrests have been for: Drug trafficking, fentanyl, aggravated assault, rape,” he said
It’s one thing to face friction from the criminal community when law enforcement is doing its job to keep our communities safe, it’s quite another when the pushback comes from those who are also on the side of justice.