Twenty-one attorneys general want Joe Biden to designate Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Five months after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated two Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and called on President Joe Biden to do the same, 21 attorneys general also called on the president to do so. The attorneys general sent a letter to the president and Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week after the president’s state of the union address in which he didn’t designate illicit fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction or designate the cartels as FTOs, requests previously made by attorneys general and Gov. Abbott. Last September, Abbott issued an executive order designating the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and any similarly situated Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations” under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. He also requested the president do likewise, the second time he’s made the request since April 2021. In his September 21, 2022 letter, Abbott said since then, “There was no action, no response.” “But if you are ready to make Americans safer,” he wrote the president, “it will be better late than never. As the number of American deaths continues to rise due to the cartels’ terrorist behavior, now is the time to act. We do not have more time to waste.” Still receiving no response, he’s said within one year of Joe Biden’s presidency, fentanyl had killed nearly 20 times more people than those killed in terrorist attacks over decades. Through Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, Texas law enforcement officers have seized over 360 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill more than everyone in the U.S. Florida law enforcement officers in just a few months last year also seized enough fentanyl to kill everyone in the state. Law enforcement officers in other states are seizing record amounts. While Biden mentioned last week that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents had seized over 28,000 pounds of fentanyl, he didn’t mention they’ve done so since February 2021 or that in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, they’d seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly 5 billion people. Two milligrams, roughly the weight of a mosquito, is considered a lethal dose. The attorneys general echoed Abbott’s concerns in their letter, pointing to the fentanyl crisis being facilitated by Mexican cartels manufacturing fentanyl and trafficking it, its precursors, and other drugs laced with it through the southern border. They also point to the ruthless violence being committed by Mexican cartels on both sides of the border. Mexican cartels are “assassinating rivals and government officials, ambushing and killing Americans at the border, and engaging in an armed insurgency against the Mexican government,” the AGs write. “This dangerous terrorist activity occurring at our border will not abate unless we escalate our response.” “The Mexican drug cartels threaten our national security beyond the sale of these deadly drugs,” they continue. “Over the past decade, Mexican drug cartels have developed well-organized armed forces to protect their reprehensible trade from rivals and from the Mexican government. The existence of such forces just across our southwestern land border, and the Mexican government’s inability to control them, pose a threat to our national security far greater than a typical drug-trafficking enterprise. That threat is made greater still by the known links between the Mexican drug cartels and [FTOs] like Hezbollah, who already intend to do us harm. Our national security requires the federal government to disrupt this collaboration between cartels and terrorist groups.” Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares led a coalition of 21 attorneys general representing the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. Miyares last year joined a coalition of 18 AGs led by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody calling on Biden to designate fentanyl as a WMD, about which he said, “To date, no action has been taken.” In a separate statement, AG Moody said, “It’s evident that the Mexican drug cartels are terrorist organizations,” referring to them “trafficking deadly fentanyl directly across the border … killing tens of thousands of Americans,” and “fueling extreme violence at the southwest border and beyond.” “Sadly, the Biden administration has only emboldened the cartels to commit even more crimes on both sides of the border,” she said, citing a story published by The Center Square about a recent “cartel-style execution [that] occurred in California that reportedly involved a Mexican drug cartel.” She’s also called on the president to hold Mexico and China accountable for their role in creating the fentanyl crisis and has yet to hear back. The AGs argue the cartels’ “recent embrace of extreme violence further justifies their designation as an FTO.” Under 8 US Code, Section 1189, the Secretary of State may designate an organization as an FTO, which gives state and federal agencies the authority to freeze assets, deny entry to cartel members and pursue stricter punishments. Instead, President Biden said his plan to address the fentanyl crisis involved having “more drug detection machines,” implementing greater inspection of cargo to “stop pills and powder [coming in through] the border,” “working with couriers, like FedEx, to inspect more packages for drugs,” and implementing “strong penalties to crack down on fentanyl trafficking.” In response, Texas lawmakers blasted his plan, and Gov. Abbott said, “Once again, President Biden proved Texas leads, and Washington follows.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
DEA issues public safety alert lethal fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has issued another public safety alert warning Americans of a “sharp nationwide increase in the lethality of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills.” Six of 10 fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills its experts analyzed in 2022 contained a potentially lethal dose, the DEA says, an increase from 4 out of 10 pills tested last year. “More than half of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills being trafficked in communities across the country now contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said. “This marks a dramatic increase – from four out of ten to six out of ten – in the number of pills that can kill. “These pills are being mass-produced by the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel, in Mexico,” she said, referring to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC), a deadly rival of the Sinaloa. For the past two years, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said, “the cartels have been emboldened by Biden administration’s open border policies that are killing Americans.” In March 2021, Abbott launched Operation Lone Star to interdict Mexican cartel-linked criminal activity coming through the southern border. He also recently designated the Sinaloa and JCNG cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and called on President Joe Biden to do the same. Abbott hasn’t heard back. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and 17 attorneys general also called on Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. They also haven’t received a reply. The DEA’s public safety alert comes after Texas’ OLS officers have seized over 352 million lethal doses of fentanyl since last March, enough to kill everyone in the U.S. It also comes after Florida law enforcement officers in the last few months seized enough fentanyl to kill everyone in Florida. That was after they after shut down a major drug trafficking operation run by gang members affiliated with Mexican cartels and seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly half of Florida’s population. And after DEA agents earlier this year, in a three-month operation, seized 10.2 million fake pills in all 50 states after they’d seized more than 20.4 million fake prescription pills in 2021. Moody has increasingly been warning Americans that “one pill can kill,” especially rainbow fentanyl being used to target children because it looks like candy. Her office has published a Fast Facts on Fentanyl Toolkit as well as information about digital dealers who are using social media apps targeting minors. The DEA has also published an Emoji Drug Code identifying symbols used to communicate with minors about drugs. Texas also launched a “one pill can kill” public service campaign. Americans are urged to never take a pill that isn’t prescribed by a doctor, from a friend or purchase anything through social media. “Fentanyl has flooded into the country, and Joe Biden continues to look the other way as Mexican drug cartels smuggle massive amounts of this deadly opioid across our southwest border,” Moody said. Addressing the president, she said: “Biden, do your job, secure the border and help us end this opioid crisis.” After receiving the precursors from China, the cartels manufacture fake pills in Mexico to look like real prescription pills like OxyContin, Percocet, Xanax, and others that are laced with fentanyl. “Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country,” the DEA says. The highly addictive synthetic opioid is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Two milligrams, roughly the weight of a mosquito, and small enough to fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug poisoning in 2021; 66% involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Halloween warning: Beware rainbow fentanyl pills hidden in candy boxes
From coast to coast – from California to New York, from Texas to Florida – law enforcement officers are warning parents about rainbow fentanyl pills being hidden in candy boxes ahead of Halloween. The pills look like candy but are laced with illicit fentanyl intended to kill children and others who ingest them. Two milligrams, the size of a mosquito, is considered a lethal dose. After a major drug bust at the Los Angeles Airport, LA County Sheriff’s Department issued a warning saying, “With Halloween approaching, parents need to make sure they are checking their kid’s candy and not allowing them to eat anything until it has been inspected by them. “If you find anything in candy boxes that you believe might be narcotics, do not touch it and immediately notify your local law enforcement agency.” The sheriff’s office issued the warning after its Narcotics Bureau detectives and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents seized approximately 12,000 suspected fentanyl pills hidden inside “Sweetarts,” “Skittles,” and “Whoppers” candy boxes that a passenger was trying to take on a plane at the Los Angeles International Airport. In Tampa on Tuesday, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and law enforcement officers warned parents about the dangers of rainbow fentanyl ahead of Halloween. “Halloween can be scary, but nowhere near as scary as rainbow-colored fentanyl that looks like candy and can be lethal in minute doses,” she said. “Whether these drugs are being transported in candy boxes or mixed with other common drugs and sold to unsuspecting users, the threat posed to the safety of kids and young adults is very real. “Just one pill laced with fentanyl can kill, so parents, please talk to your children about the dangers posed by this extremely lethal drug.” Earlier this month, Florida law enforcement officers seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly half of Florida’s population after they shut down a major drug trafficking operation run by gang members affiliated with Mexican cartels. Last month, two Maryland men were charged with fentanyl trafficking offenses after selling illicit pills to undercover DEA agents, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut said. Investigators confiscated 15,000 fentanyl-laced pills, many of which were hidden inside numerous Nerds candy boxes and Skittles candy bags. Earlier this month, DEA agents seized the largest amount of fentanyl to date in New York City – 15,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills hidden in a Lego toy box. Agents said the pills were primarily supplied by two Mexican cartels, the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartel. “Using happy colors to make a deadly drug seem fun and harmless is a new low, even for the Mexican cartels,” New York narcotics city prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in a statement. She said more than 80% of drug overdoses in New York City involve illicit fentanyl. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has designated the two cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and has called on President Joe Biden to do the same. Fentanyl is pouring through the border “because of President Biden’s open border policies,” Abbott said. He’s continued to call on the president to close the border, sounding the alarm on the volume of drugs pouring through. Since the president has been in office, Texas law enforcement working through Operation Lone Star have seized enough lethal doses of fentanyl to kill everyone in the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have seized enough lethal doses of fentanyl to kill 5 billion people. The DEA also recently said it had seized 36 million lethal doses of fentanyl in operations from May to September nationwide. Moody and 17 attorneys general have called on the president to classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. “With massive amounts of fentanyl flooding in from Mexico, we know that deadly drugs are more available,” than they were before, Moody warned. She’s urging parents to talk to their children about how dangerous just one pill is: it can kill. Her office has published a range of resources about the dangers of fentanyl, including a Fast Facts on Fentanyl Toolkit to educate parents about digital drug dealers who are aggressively targeting children and young adults on social media apps. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Border chief Raul Ortiz in sworn testimony: Southern border ‘is currently in a crisis’
As part of ongoing litigation against the Biden administration, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody continues to uncover what she calls “damning evidence” about the consequences stemming from Biden administration policies changing federal immigration laws. Moody’s chief deputy on July 28 deposed U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, who testified under oath that the Biden administration purposely reduced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention capacity and changed the removal process of people illegally in the U.S. While a complete transcript of Ortiz’s deposition was made public, part of his testimony is transcribed here. When asked, “would you agree that the southern border is currently in crisis,” Ortiz replied, “Yes.” When asked, “Would you agree that an unprecedented number of aliens are entering the United States right now,” he replied, “Yes.” When asked, “Are the individuals that are turning themselves in doing so because they believe they are going to be paroled?” He replied, “I would imagine they think they are going to be released, yes.” “Would you agree the aliens who cite favorable immigration policy as a reason to come to the United States are perceiving what is actually happening in the United States,” he replied, “Yes.” “When President (Joe) Biden was elected, did the number of aliens trying to illegally enter the United States increase or decrease?” He replied, “Increase.” “What is currently going on at the border? Is it making it less safe for Americans and aliens at the border alike?” He waited a while to respond and answered, “Yes.” “From your 31 years of experience, has the Border Patrol in a year ever had the number of encounters it’s going to have in 2022?” He replied, “No.” When asked why it is important to detain and remove individuals who are in-admittable, he replied, “You want to make sure you have consequences.” “And if you don’t have consequences, what is likely going to happen?” he was asked. He replied, “In my experience, we have seen increases [of illegal entry] when there are no consequences.” When asked if “migrant populations believe there aren’t going to be consequences, more of them will come to the border, is that what you are saying?” He replied, “There’s an assumption that if migrant populations are told that there’s a potential that they may be released that yes, you can see increases.” Throughout the questioning, Ortiz moved around a lot in his chair, rubbed his forehead, and appeared to be uncomfortable, according to an edited video recording of his deposition. His attorney objected to every single question he was asked before he ever replied. Of his responses, Moody said, “After the Biden administration denied that they were engaged in catch-and-release and that they were responsible for the historic surge at our southern border, Florida got the Chief of Border Patrol to admit, under oath, the truth. The Biden administration caused the surge, made the border less safe, and is flagrantly violating the very federal laws they swore to uphold. The Biden administration is putting hard-working border patrol agents in impossible and untenable positions – risking their lives and safety, and I want to thank Chief Ortiz for testifying truthfully at his deposition.” The deposition was part of a lawsuit filed by the state of Florida against the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, claiming they failed to enforce federal law. For example, according to the lawsuit, one law not being enforced is the Immigration and Nationality Act. It requires federal agents to detain inadmissible foreign nationals who’ve entered the U.S. illegally and repatriate them to the country of their citizenship. Instead, those who would normally be deported are being released into the U.S., according to Customs and Border Patrol data. During the last full month of the Trump administration, Border Patrol agents released 17 foreign nationals who’d illegally entered the U.S. into the interior instead of deporting them, pending resolution of their cases. But within six months of Biden taking office, federal agents released more than 60,000 illegal foreign nationals into the U.S. in one month. According to federal documents provided to Florida during the discovery phase of the case, DHS disclosed that there were more than 48,000 foreign nationals illegally in the U.S. who indicated they were traveling to Florida and who failed to check in with ICE. The federal government has no idea where they are “even though most of them are legally inadmissible,” Moody said. The lawsuit points to revised DHS policy that directs federal agents to release family units and/or single adults from certain countries into the interior of the U.S. even though they were likely inadmissible and should have been deported according to federal law. After entering the U.S. illegally, federal agents didn’t fully process them or require them to report within a specific time period to an ICE facility for further processing, according to the lawsuit. Moody’s office filed an amended complaint to its original lawsuit in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Florida Pensacola Division on August 12. The case is scheduled to go to trial in January 2023. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Steve Marshall joins 22 attorneys general, file brief in federal travel mask mandate case
Attorneys general from 23 states have filed an amicus brief in a federal appeals court urging judges to uphold a ruling from earlier this year that struck down the mask mandate for interstate travel. Four months ago, Florida U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle sided with the Health Freedom Defense Fund and two Florida residents. They claimed the restriction the Biden Administration announced January 29, 2021, as part of its COVID-19 guidelines exceeded federal authority. Led by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, the states’ attorneys general said in their 37-page filing that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pursued “expansive” measures in its handling of the pandemic. Officials from the states also remind the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that federal judges set several other CDC guidelines aside. The states “share an interest in protecting their sovereign authority to enact quarantine measures of their choosing to combat the spread of disease in the manner best adapted to their distinctive local conditions – authority historically reserved to the states, as CDC’s own regulations reflect even today,” the brief states. The CDC now recommends passengers in such places as airports and airplanes wear masks, but the mandate is no longer in effect. Still, the Biden Administration has asked the circuit court to intervene. “It’s astonishing that Biden continues to fight to force mask passengers,” Moody said. “We are once again pushing back, in court, against his unlawful federal overreach.” The states also claim the mask mandate is unlawful because it goes beyond the CDC’s ability to enforce sanitation measures. They also claim the federal government failed to review what steps states were taking or determine if those measures were sufficient. Besides Florida, other attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia signed on to the brief. “The district court’s ruling here correctly ended the Biden Administration’s mandate requiring all travelers to wear masks at airports, train stations, and other transportation hubs,” said Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. “We joined this brief to support the court’s important ruling and ensure this mandate is not reinstated.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Florida AG Ashley Moody calls on Joe Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as weapon of mass destruction
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling on President Joe Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction after 26 people in two separate incidents were poisoned by fentanyl in one week, including nine who died over the July 4 weekend. She sent a letter to President Biden on Monday demanding that he take immediate action to stop the fentanyl crisis in America. Last year, 75,673 adult Americans died from opioids, primarily fentanyl. Over the past two years, more than double the number died from synthetic opioids than were killed in the Vietnam War, Moody noted. While she’s not equating fentanyl deaths “to those of Americans who fought and gave their last full measure of devotion for this country,” she said, she’s providing the numbers “to give context to the stark carnage that this country is experiencing. “Fentanyl has hit the state of Florida hard, like many other states across this country, and the death toll is increasing at an alarming, exponential rate.” According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, there were 5,806 fentanyl-related deaths in 2020; in the first six months of 2021, there were more than 3,210. Moody sent the letter after 19 people overdosed from fentanyl poisoning in Gadsden County over July 4 weekend, killing nine. One week later, seven people were found unresponsive at a convenience store in Tampa after they’d consumed drugs laced with fentanyl. In March, five West Point cadets overdosed, in addition to others in their group who also got sick from drugs laced with fentanyl while on spring break in Wilton Manors. The exposure was so deadly, the first responder also overdosed after attempting to resuscitate them, Moody said. Those poisoned by fentanyl in Tampa and Wilton Manors survived after receiving medical treatment. “Fentanyl has flooded into the country, and Joe Biden continues to look the other way as Mexican drug cartels smuggle massive amounts of this deadly opioid across our southwest border,” Moody said after the Gadsden County incident. Addressing the president, she said: “Biden, do your job, secure the border and help us end this opioid crisis.” In the letter, she said the Biden administration has “done little to abate this American tragedy. Indeed, many of your policies have exacerbated the death toll,” caused by fentanyl “making it across our southern border.” Moody noted that “the federal government already works to disrupt the supply chains of other chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. It’s not hard to imagine that similar tactics could be used to reduce the flow of illicit fentanyl into the U.S. through cartels in Mexico – and save countless American lives.” According to Department of Homeland Security, a WMD “is a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people.” Last July, the nonprofit organization, Families Against Fentanyl and a group of bipartisan officials, called on the president to designate fentanyl as a WMD. They did so after record amounts of fentanyl were seized at the southern border and after federal data showed that fentanyl is the leading cause of death among 18-45-year-old Americans. More Americans died from fentanyl in 2021 than from gun violence and car accidents combined. FAF’s founder, James Rauh, said, “Not only is illicit fentanyl being used by drug traffickers to poison thousands of unsuspecting Americans, it is also a chemical weapon that poses a very real threat in the wrong hands. The growing prevalence of fentanyl also heightens the potential for this deadly drug to be repurposed by terrorists or cartels as a chemical weapon in a mass-casualty event. “The fentanyl death toll will continue to rise unless America takes bold action,” he warned. FAF welcomed Moody’s call to action, noting that the WMD designation has bipartisan support in Congress. “With A.G. Moody’s announcement today, the movement continues to grow. … It’s clear that the status quo isn’t working,” it said. “WMD designation would allow the federal government to activate unused and under-used resources to stop illicit fentanyl before it ever reaches our border.” Last month, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-OH, introduced a Congressional Resolution, H.Res.1172, requesting the Biden Administration designate illicit fentanyl as a WMD. Biden has issued recommendations to Congress to reduce the supply and availability of fentanyl and issued an executive order imposing sanctions on foreign nationals involved in the global illicit drug trade in the U.S. His administration also proposed dedicating “$10.7 billion to expand access to substance use prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services” and permanently added illicitly manufactured fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substance Act. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 50 to 100 times more deadly than morphine. Roughly two milligrams, about the weight of a mosquito, is enough to kill a full-grown adult. Fentanyl precursors are often first shipped from China to Mexican ports. Cartel workers make fake opioid pills or lace other narcotics with them and then transport them into the U.S., primarily through the southern border. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Steve Marshall joins 16 attorneys general to file legal brief in support of Florida law banning sanctuary cities
Seventeen Republican attorneys general have filed an amicus brief with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in support of a Florida law banning sanctuary cities. The brief was filed by the attorneys general of Alabama and Georgia, Steve Marshall and Christopher Carr. Joining them were the attorneys general of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. The Florida case is currently on appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division. In 2019, the Florida legislature passed a bill signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis requiring state and local government officials and employees to comply with federal immigration enforcement. DeSantis said he was proud to sign the bill “to uphold the rule of law and ensure that our communities are safe.” He thanked state legislators “and the Angel Parents for their commitment to seeing this bill across the finish line. Their leadership has made Florida safer.” Shortly thereafter, the city of South Miami sued, and later several other groups, claiming the law discriminated against foreign nationals living in Florida illegally. U.S. District Court Judge Beth Bloom granted the city’s request for an injunction, halting the law from going into effect. Florida then appealed. The attorneys general argue Bloom legislated from the bench and exceeded her constitutional authority. “The amici States must constantly defend against legal challenges to state statutes brought by those who oppose the results of the legislative process,” they argue in the brief. “These litigants invite federal courts to substitute their own judgment for that of the legislature. Too often, courts accept the invitation to usurp the legislative role by ascribing invidious intent to legislative enactments based on sheer policy disagreement, dressed up as supposed discrimination. “The Constitution forbids that, and for good reason. … Federal courts are poorly positioned to weigh the many interests at stake. Their decisions are rendered without public debate. And, because they are not elected, they cannot be held accountable by the people.” They argue Bloom “fell prey to exactly this temptation.” “A legislative judgment that the country’s existing laws should be enforced is not an extreme or suspect position,” they argue. “Yet the district court held the law facially invalid because it was supposedly enacted with discriminatory intent, even though the law specifically prohibits racial discrimination. The Court did not point to any discrimination apparent in the text of the law (there is none).” AG Marshall said, “An unelected federal judge apparently disagrees with Florida’s political judgment about whether immigration laws should be enforced, but that should not be relevant,” adding that he hopes the court undoes Bloom’s “troubling ruling and puts an end to this practice of legislation by judicial fiat.” In Florida, AG Ashley Moody’s brief filed with the 11th Circuit argued Judge Bloom “committed numerous errors to arrive at the remarkable conclusion that the Florida Legislature had secret racist motivations in enacting SB 168.” “The law promotes public safety in facilitating federal immigration enforcement against criminal aliens while expressly prohibiting racial discrimination in its implementation,” the brief states. “The district court found a hidden racist motive only by ignoring key provisions of the statute, failing to afford the Legislature a presumption of good faith and placing great weight on the thinnest of evidence.” There are currently more than 300 so-called sanctuary cities in the U.S. whose officials won’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates. “Many sanctuary policies restrict law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officials, including prohibiting their compliance with immigration detainers,” it states. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement estimates, more than 2.1 million illegal immigrants are living in the U.S., with more than 1.9 million of them having deportation orders from a judge. In a recent letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz estimates that it would take 14.5 years to deport “just the aliens DHS has released under the Biden Administration,” into the interior of the U.S., including Florida. This is in addition to the 1.9 million with deportation orders who haven’t been deported. He also recently cited DHS data indicating that the Biden administration has the lowest deportation rate in the history of the agency. According to DHS data, 48% fewer criminal illegal immigrants have been arrested, and 63% fewer convicted criminals have been deported under the administration, he said. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
AG Steve Marshall sues Joe Biden over policy releasing criminal aliens into U.S.
Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Biden administration, arguing that they are ignoring a federal law that requires the federal government to detain and deport aliens who have committed crimes in our country. Alabama, Florida, and Georgia have filed the lawsuit. Marshall joined Florida and Georgia in filing the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The States are seeking an order that would halt the administration’s policy of releasing criminal aliens communities, stating that the policy threatens the safety of Americans while further undermining our country’s border security. “For more than three decades, a bipartisan majority of Congress has made law that the Executive Branch should arrest, detain, and remove all felon criminal aliens,” stated Marshall. “Congress was justifiably concerned that deportable criminal aliens who are not detained continue to engage in crime and fail to appear for their removal proceedings in large numbers. Furthermore, Congress intended that those arrested and ordered removed by an immigration judge were actually deported. What’s more, officials in previous administrations of both political parties have agreed that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has to prioritize the removal of criminal aliens, and the United States Supreme Court has held that immigration officials ‘must arrest those aliens guilty of a predicate offense,’” argued Marshall. The lawsuit argues that the Biden administration is ignoring the commands of Congress. The lawsuit states that the administration “claims the discretion to decide for itself which aliens should be arrested, detained, and removed, even if its policy preferences directly conflict with the clear commands of Congress.” Marshall continued, “However, President [Joe] Biden has reversed course, effectively thumbing his nose at federal law, slow-walking or outright ignoring legal requirements for detention and deportation of criminal aliens. On November 21, 2021, the Biden administration declared it would no longer strictly abide by the law regarding criminal alien detentions and deportations. It will instead loosely enforce criminal alien detentions and enforcement, asserting ‘broad discretion to decide who should be subject to arrest, detainers, removal proceedings, and the execution of removal orders.’ “Alabama and other states currently bear many of the consequences of unlawful immigration, collectively spending more than $100 million per year incarcerating aliens who commit crimes within our borders. We will spend even more because of the criminals the Biden administration is releasing instead of arresting, detaining, and removing, especially given the high recidivism rates among released prisoners. The Biden administration cannot ignore the law, nor should it place American lives in jeopardy by allowing criminal aliens to escape the long arm of justice,” Marshall concluded. Florida AG Ashley Moody stated on Twitter, “Joe Biden’s refusal to deport criminals here illegally after they complete their sentences makes us all less safe. I’m bringing a new multistate action to force the federal government to deport criminal aliens instead of releasing them into our communities.”
