Grassley: Are Obama Admin. Policies or Sanctuary Cities to Blame?
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is asking the Obama Administration why an undocumented immigrant with a violent background was allowed to stay in the United States before setting an apartment fire that killed five people, including four Iowans. Despite lying to federal immigration authorities and several encounters with law enforcement, including three times in 2016 alone, Yoni (Johnny) Josue Sanchez was never deported. One arrest came less than one week before Sanchez allegedly set the fatal fire.
Grassley is calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to explain why it never took action to detain Sanchez, even after he was arrested on domestic violence charges. Specifically, Grassley is asking whether Sanchez was not considered a priority under the Obama Administration’s Priority Enforcement Program and whether federal authorities were blocked by local sanctuary policies that prevent cooperation with federal immigration officials.
In a letter today to ICE Assistant Secretary Sarah Saldaña, Grassley is also asking why ICE never took action against Sanchez when he lied about his age to Border Patrol agents, whether ICE was aware of his arrests, why ICE didn’t issue a detainer following his arrests and what conversations ICE has had with Los Angeles law enforcement officials about their sanctuary policies. Additionally, Grassley is seeking details on ICE policies regarding undocumented immigrants who mislead immigration authorities as well as statistical information on the number of times ICE sought cooperation from the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Office, and how many times those requests were ignored.
Grassley’s letter follows information ICE provided to the Judiciary Committee regarding its interactions with Sanchez before he was arrested on murder charges following the fire.
