- A New York Times op-ed writer said President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech included “bogus” stories about crimes committed by immigrants.
- A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman responded by providing numerous examples of crimes committed by illegal aliens, particularly after they were released by authorities who refused to cooperate with ICE.
- Trump placed a heavy focus on the dangers of “sanctuary cities” and called on law enforcement everywhere to cooperate with ICE to help take criminals off the street.
After a New York Times op-ed writer said President Donald Trump’s stories about immigrant crime were “bogus,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security provided him with examples.
David Brooks, an opinion writer for The New York Times, appeared on PBS NewsHour on Feb. 7 to discuss a slate of political topics, such as the president’s recent acquittal, the Democratic presidential election and Trump’s latest State of the Union address. While speaking about the address, Brooks referred to the president’s mention of immigrant-related crime as “bogus stories.”
“Yes, I actually thought it was his most effective speech as president,” Brooks said of the address. “He had some of the stuff he has always had, which is these bogus stories of crimes that immigrants have committed.”
“But if you go back to his campaign in 2016, it was an American carnage campaign. It was all crime,” he continued. “It was all fear. It was all division.”
Heather Swift, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), explained on social media why this remark was “not true.”
Heather Swift’s tweet about illegal immigrant crime is pictured. Screen shot. (2/10/2020)
“Hi, [Brooks]. Saw your interview, where you said POTUS had ‘bogus stories of crimes that immigrants have committed,'” Swift tweeted Monday.
“Not true. Let me introduce you to a few,” she added. “I’m sad to say there are many, many tragic stories of lives destroyed and lost due to crimes by illegal aliens.”
Swift linked to the story of Reeaz Khan, a 21-year-old illegal alien who was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting and killing a 92-year-old woman.
Khan had been previously arrested for allegedly assaulting his father, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer on him. However, New York City’s sanctuary laws forbid cooperation with ICE, and authorities eventually released him from custody. Khan went on to allegedly assault the elderly woman in the dead of night, and she later succumbed to her injuries at a hospital.
Another tweet linked to a story that reported two alleged child rapists who were at large because New York and New Jersey authorities refused to honor ICE detainers on both of them.
New Jersey police arrested Luciano Trejo-Dominguez in August 2019 for allegedly restraining and sexually assaulting a minor. Authorities arrested Joaquin Rodriguez Quiroz a month later on third-degree rape charges against a minor. The two men, both of whom are Mexican nationals, were arrested but later released after New Jersey and New York authorities did not honor the ICE detainers placed on them.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers gather for a debriefing after operations to arrest undocumented immigrants on April 11, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Swift also shared a story, published in August 2018, of a Gold Star family. Laura Wilkerson, whose son was killed by illegal alien in 2010 in Texas, spoke to The Hill about her frustrations with local jurisdictions not enforcing the immigration laws passed by Congress. Wilkerson also called on lawmakers to implement E-Verify as a means of attracting less illegal aliens into the U.S.
Lastly, the DHS spokeswoman shared an article about an illegal alien who Oklahoman authorities arrested in September 2019, but the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office refused to honor a detainer. Hours after he was released from custody, he allegedly went back to the victim’s house and attempted to rape her again. (RELATED: NYPD Union To Mayor Bill De Blasio: ‘We Do Not Respect You’)
Trump focused heavily on the dangers of “sanctuary cities” during his State of the Union address on Feb. 4 and reiterated the need for local authorities to cooperate with their federal partners, namely ICE. One of his special guests was Jody Jones, a California man whose brother was killed by an illegal alien who had days prior been released from local custody, despite an ICE detainer placed on him.
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