Robert Almonte, former U.S. marshal for the Western District of Texas, told Newsmax Friday that by refusing to work with federal immigration authorities, the mayors and governors of sanctuary cities and states are essentially condoning the rape and murder of U.S. citizens.
"I just don't get it," Almonte said on Newsmax's "National Report." "These mayors and governors from sanctuary cities [who] are refusing to cooperate with federal authorities, specifically ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], basically what they're doing is by not participating with ICE is they're saying it's okay to release these dangerous criminals that are here illegally. Let them out on the streets so they can go out and rape and kill people. That's basically what they're saying."
Almonte pointed to the 2024 presidential election result as proof that the American people support the removal of illegal immigrants from their communities.
"The last election when President [Donald] Trump won, the American people have spoken," he said. "What's going on right now with the enforcement actions that [border czar] Tom Homan, President Trump are doing, that's exactly what the American people want."
During an appearance on Wednesday in New York State capital Albany, Homan threatened to "double the man-force" in the Empire State if Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration does not cooperate with immigration officials.
"New York State, you gotta change the sanctuary status," Homan said, according to Politico. "If you don't, get out of the way, because we're going to do our job."
In a statement, Hochul's spokesperson said "she supports secure borders and deporting violent criminals but won't let New York help the Trump administration tear babies away from their parents." The governor, the spokesperson said, "is staying focused on keeping New Yorkers safe."
In his own state of Texas, Almonte said there's a police chief in Dallas that he's "really ashamed of" because he is "refusing to cooperate with ICE" to arrest and deport illegal migrants.
"I've been in law enforcement for over 40 years, and it's ridiculous to hear a police officer saying they're not going to enforce the law, they're not going to cooperate with federal agencies," he said. "He should be ashamed of himself, and he should resign. So, I just don't get it and that's exactly right: a lot of people are being killed and raped because of the sanctuary city policy."
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