9 times sanctuary policies and a lax approach to illegal immigration endangered American lives

Sanctuary policies as they are presently understood were once limited to handful of California municipalities. In the decades since Berkeley and other leftist enclaves began signaling their extra-national goodwill, various cities, counties, and entire states across the country have taken it upon themselves to actively flout American law in the interest of aiding and abetting those foreign nationals who have stolen into the U.S.

For instance, a July 2023 report approved by the Los Angeles Police Commission revealed that the LAPD received 783 immigration detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2022 and refused to honor a single one. ICE did not immediately respond to Blaze News' inquiry about how many detainers were declined nationally last year.

The prioritization of foreign nationals often comes at a price — a price paid both by American citizens and by those migrants who have entered the nation lawfully.

Laken Hope Riley, the beloved 22-year-old Georgia nursing student whose brutalized remains were discovered at the University of Georgia last week, appears to be one of the latest victims to fall victim to a criminal noncitizen whom sanctuary policies enabled to roam American streets.

Below are nine examples from the past seven months in which sanctuary policies and a reluctance to tackle the problem of illegal immigration have enabled known criminal noncitizens to offend and roam freely on American soil.

Nilson Granados-Trejo, murder

Granados-Trejo, 25, was arrested on Feb. 23 in connection with the fatal shooting of 2-year-old Jeremy Poou-Caceres of Maryland and the grievous wounding of the boy's mother.

Granados-Trejo, a Salvadoran national who now faces murder, attempted murder, and assault charges, was allegedly involved in a Feb. 8 gun battle between two groups of thugs in Langley Park, Maryland.

Blaze News previously reported that a Department of Justice immigration judge in New Jersey ordered the Salvadoran's deportation, but it did not take. He was later arrested on March 21, 2023, and charged with theft by the Montgomery County Police Department.

ICE filed an immigration detainer for Granados-Trejo, but the sanctuary county's detention center reportedly refused to cooperate. This afforded Granados-Trejo another opportunity to momentarily land himself in jail.

He was arrested again on Sept. 26, 2023, for alleged theft, obstruction, and hindering. Again, ICE lodged a detainer and again the Montgomery County Detention Center cut the illegal alien loose on Oct. 12, 2023.

Months later, the Salvadoran ended up in different sanctuary county's jail for allegedly murdering a child and injuring a 17-year-old woman.

Prince George's County Police Department

Unnamed Honduran, rape

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C., arrested an illegal alien charged with abduction and with rape by force, threat, or intimidation on Oct. 12 in Herndon, Virginia.

While it is unclear precisely when the Honduran stole into the country, U.S. Border Patrol initially picked him up near Roma, Texas, in June 2021 and gave him a notice to appear before a DOJ immigration judge.

After allegedly raping and kidnapping a victim, the Honduran was arrested and charged by officers from the Herndon Police Department in July 2023. ICE swiftly issued an immigration detainer with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in Fairfax, Virginia. However, the sanctuary county's jail opted instead to cut the alleged rapist loose without notifying ERO.

ERO Washington, D.C., was later able to catch up with the suspect and place him under arrest on Oct. 12, 2023.

"ERO Washington remains committed to apprehending criminals who are released back into the local population when a detainer is not honored," ERO Washington D.C. Field Office Director Russell Hott said in a statement. "We will not allow such noncitizen offenders to roam free and victimize innocent people."

Jose Guadalupe Menjivar-Alas, vehicular homicide

Menjivar-Alas, an illegal alien from El Salvador, allegedly killed an American mother and son in Broomfield, Colorado — a sanctuary state — on Dec. 12, 2023, while drunk driving. The incident occured just days after he was sentenced in a previous alcohol-related driving case.

Menjivar-Alas, who ICE confirmed to KDVR-TV has been deported four times — in June 2009, June 2012, November 2014, and January 2015 — was driving at an estimated speed of 100 miles per hour when he allegedly hit a vehicle near Broomfield High School. Inside the vehicle was Melissa Powell, 47, and Riordan Powell, 16.

The American mother died on impact. Her son later died in a hospital.

Kim Powell, the sister-in-law and aunt of the crash victims, told KDVR, "My family was killed by a dangerous man who set the precedent he would continue to drive under the influence after 6+ convictions. The focus needs to sharply remain on the person who committed this crime and the system that allowed this to happen."

The Denver Post indicated that Menjivar-Alas pleaded guilty to two charges of driving ability impaired, one charge of driving under the influence, and a harrasment charge and was sentenced — four days before allegedly killing the mother and son. While prosecutors wanted to lock him up, Boulder County Judge Zachary Malkinson instead sentenced the illegal alien to work release and probation.

An immigration judge issued a final order of removal for the Salvadoran in 2009, which remains on the books.

Honduran MS-13 gang member, manslaughter

ERO Baltimore arrested an illegal alien from Honduras on Dec. 12 who was repeatedly arrested for violent crimes but set free in sanctuary counties. The unnamed killer, a validated member of the Hyattsville, Maryland, chapter of MS-13, was first encountered by U.S. Border Patrol near the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, in April 2014.

After receiving a notice to appear before a DOJ immigration judge, he was transferred to ERO Harlingen, then to to the Office of Refugee Resettlement in Lincolndale, New York. He ultimately ended up in Hyattsville.

According to ICE, In November 2015, the Prince George's County Police Department arrested and charged the MS-13 member with second-degree assault. That evidently wasn't enough to oust the gang member. The DOJ immigration judge in Baltimore administratively closed the gang member's immigration proceedings the next year.

The PGCPD arrested the Honduran again in August 2016 and charged him with concealing a dangerous weapon and resisting arrest. He was convicted of the latter charge and sentenced to 30 days in prison.

In November 2016, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and several other felony charges, prompting ERO Baltimore to lodge an immigration detainer with the Prince George's County Detention Center.

The Honduran was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter in November 2018 by the Circuit Court for the sanctuary county and sentenced to 10 years in prison, but ultimately he only received 751 days and had the remainder of his charges dropped. The Prince George's County Detention Center cut the MS-13 member loose in January 2019 and refused to honor ERO Baltimore's detainer.

Finally, ICE caught up with him in December 2023.

ERO Baltimore

Pierre Lucard Emile, rape

Emile, a 31-year-old illegal alien from Haiti, was deemed inadmissible at a port of entry in Brownsville, Texas, in December 2022. He was issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge in Boston.

Months later, in September 2023, Emile was arrested by Boston Police in Dorchester, Massachusetts, for rape, indecent assault, and battery on a developmentally disabled person.

ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston field office indicated it lodged an immigration detainer against Emile, but a municipal court in Dorchester set the alleged rapist free.

"Disturbingly and despite our filing an immigration detainer, this individual was released back into the community by the criminal court," ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyon said in a statement..

ICE ultimately caught up with Emile and arrested him on Jan. 9, 2024.

Daniel Hernandez Martinez, violent crime spree

Martinez, 29, is an illegal alien from Venezuela. Within hours of his June 27 arrival in New York City, he allegedly began violating the law and customs of the land. His apparent crime spree reportedly began small at a Costco in Brooklyn, where he allegedly absconded with sneakers, hats, slippers, and razor blades. Martinez was subsequently charged with petty larceny and then released, reported the New York Post.

Days later, he allegedly stole from a Duane Reade in Manhattan. In a repeat performance the next day, July 7, Martinez allegedly assaulted a security guard who attempted to prevent him from shoplifting. Still, the sanctuary city enabled Martinez to keep doing whatever he was keen to do. That was apparently pulling out a "large knife" and rushing an undercover officer.

Despite a new menacing charge, the illegal alien was cut loose once again.

Martinez, permitted to roam the streets of the sanctuary city, allegedly randomly attacked Jeffrey Bradac, 52, in Times Square on July 31, then savagely beat a woman in Midtown on Aug. 21, according to police.

Menacing, assault, weapon possession, and other charges weren't enough to keep the Venezuelan locked up. Set loose on the sanctuary city once again, he was arrested for allegedly attempting to steal bikes on Aug. 28.

He went on to assault a police officer at Beth Israel Hospial and was finally sent to Rikers Island.

Elgin Antonio Bamaca Zacarias, rape

Zacarias, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested in Lynn, Massachusetts — a sanctuary state — in August 2023 and arraigned at the Lynn District Court on felony charges including two counts of rape, three counts of assault to rape, one count of assault and battery on a pregnant victim, and additional domestic assault charges.

ERO Boston indicated it attempted to interview the alleged rapist after the discovery that he was in the country unlawfully but "was denied the opportunity to do so before he was released on supervised probation for his pending criminal charges from the Lynn District Court."

Although he was cut loose, ICE was able to nab Zacarias on Oct. 11 in Lynn.

Juan Vicente Zavala Lopez, murder

Dallas Police officers called to a shooting on Sept. 14, 2023, arrived to find a 44-year-old man firing into a pickup truck, allegedly murdering his roommate, Ruperto Mondragon Salgado.

The shooter, identified by police as Juan Vicente Zavala Lopez, soon took aim at police and began shooting. After a brief exchange of gunfire, Lopez reportedly got into a truck and attempted to flee, driving into oncoming traffic. Following a brief pursuit, Lopez resumed his ballistic attack on the officers, non-fatally striking one in the vest, according to KXAS-TV. He was ultimately tracked down to a barn in Lewisville, then taken into custody.

Police indicated that Lopez had a substantial criminal history, faced charges in California, spent 18 months in a Texas state prison, and had previously been deported nine times.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, murder

Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal alien from Venezuela, reportedly entered the U.S. unlawfully in September 2022 and was "paroled and released for further processing."

Blaze News previously reported that on Sept. 14, 2023, New York City Police Department officers arrested the Venezuelan national and charged him "with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation." Despite these charges, New York City — a "sanctuary city" — cut Ibarra loose.

According to ICE, Ibarra "was released by the NYPD before a detainer could be issued."

Ibarra apparently also had a warrant out for his arrest as of December 2023, having dodged a court appearance in Georgia over shoplifting charges, reported the New York Post.

Months later, he would allegedly savagely murder Laken Riley, "seriously disfiguring her body … by disfiguring her skull," according to court documents.

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