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The Trump administration's top immigration enforcement officials are urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom not to release more than 33,000 criminal illegal immigrants, some of whom have violent felony convictions, back onto the streets without notifying federal authorities.
In a letter, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons are asking Newsom to honor ICE detainers of 33,179 inmates in California's custody.
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"Governor Newsom and his fellow California sanctuary politicians are releasing murderers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers from their jails back into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk," said Lyons. "We are calling on Governor Newsom and his administration to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 33,000 criminal illegal aliens in California’s custody."
"It is common sense. Criminal illegal aliens should not be released from jails back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans," he added.
All told, the inmates account for 399 homicides, 3,313 assaults, 3,171 burglaries, 1,011 robberies, 8,380 dangerous drugs offenses, 1,984 weapons offenses, and 1,293 sexual predatory offenses," DHS said.
Newsom's office referred Fox News Digital to a Friday post on X: "California cooperates with ICE when it comes to REMOVING CRIMINALS — like sick rapists and murderers — in our state prisons."
Since Newsom took office in 2019, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has coordinated the transfer of more than 12,000 people, including murderers, rapists, and other violent offenders, into ICE custody.
State law currently allows CDCR to notify and coordinate with ICE to take custody of individuals convicted of felony offenses who have served their terms in California’s state prisons.
Newsom has heavily criticized ICE amid the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration. California's sanctuary state law – SB 54 – limits cooperation between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities for illegal immigrants unless they’ve committed certain serious crimes.
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