During a markup of a bill related to immigration, Congressman Daniel Goldman, a Democrat from New York, challenged Republican colleagues to provide an example of a case where a sanctuary city did not turn over a removable illegal immigrant after serving their sentence. Goldman stated, "Sanctuary cities... I ask you please cite one case where there was a criminal conviction, the defendant served his time and was convicted of a removable offense... and he was not turned over by the city or the state to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)."
In response, Republican Representative Brad Knott expressed skepticism about Goldman's claim, citing his experience prosecuting such cases in North Carolina and mentioning recent incidents in Fairfax County, Virginia, where sanctuary jurisdictions did not cooperate with federal authorities.
The DHS countered Goldman's assertion, referencing statistics indicating that New York's failure to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers has led to the release of 6,947 criminally convicted illegal immigrants since January. Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis highlighted that these individuals were involved in serious crimes, including 29 homicides and 2,509 assaults.
Goldman also criticized Republican Representative Darrell Issa's comparison of current immigration policies to those at Ellis Island, noting historical differences in immigration law and procedures. DHS cited 12 cases that contradicted Goldman's claims, including instances of individuals arrested for violent crimes who were released by New York authorities despite ICE detainer requests.