During a markup of a bill aimed at making President Donald Trump's border security orders permanent, Rep. Daniel Goldman, a Democrat from New York, challenged his Republican colleagues to provide an example of a criminal illegal immigrant who was not turned over to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after serving their sentence. Goldman stated, 'Sanctuary cities... please cite one case where there was a criminal conviction... and he was not turned over by the city or the state to the Department of Homeland Security.'
In response, Rep. Brad Knott, a Republican from North Carolina, expressed skepticism, citing his experience with such cases and noting that some jurisdictions do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. DHS also countered Goldman's assertion, sharing statistics indicating that New York's failure to honor ICE detainers has led to the release of 6,947 criminally convicted illegal immigrants since January, including individuals involved in serious crimes such as homicide and assault.
DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized the policies of sanctuary cities, stating that they prioritize politics over public safety. The agency provided examples of cases where individuals arrested for violent crimes were released despite ICE detainer requests. Goldman also addressed comments made by Rep. Issa regarding historical immigration practices, arguing that the context has changed significantly since then.