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Federal prosecutors attempt to Neutralize California’s sanctuary policies

May 20, 2025

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli

By KAREN VELIE

In an attempt to “neutralize California’s sanctuary state policy,” federal prosecutors plan to file arrest warrants instead of detainers as part of Operation Guardian Angel, a program that seeks to protect Americans from criminal illegal aliens incarcerated in county jails.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California – comprised of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties – “is home to an estimated 1.5 million illegal aliens. Among this population are gang members and other dangerous felons.”

Prosecutors argue that criminal illegal aliens pose a danger to local communities.

For example, in February, José Cristian Saravia-Sánchez, 30, of Mexico, shot and killed an Inglewood man who tried to stop him from stealing a catalytic converter. Saravia-Sánchez is an illegal alien who was convicted of vehicle theft and deported in 2013.

Despite the suspects 11 arrests between June 2022 and Aug. 2024, local law enforcement was prevented by state law from complying with an immigration detainer request.

Following the detainer request, Saravia-Sánchez was released from jail and then killed the Inglewood man.

Through Operation Guardian Angel, federal prosecutors can  file complaints and arrest warrants to “allow federal law enforcement to take as many defendants as possible into custody from state jails.” During the first five days of the operation, which began May 10, federal agents arrested 13 defendants.

“Even the worst criminal aliens in state custody are frequently released into the community because California’s sanctuary state policies block cooperation with federal law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “These laws effectively render federal immigration detainers meaningless. The days of giving criminal illegal aliens a free pass are over. While California may be presently disregarding detainers, it cannot ignore federal arrest warrants.”

 


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But who will pick the cotton? Clean the pool? Rub the bunions?


1

As a 43 year Californian, I voted for and fully support this.


10

We were doing fine before 4 years of open borders. Now we have serious issues that our laws were established to prevent.


8

Ahhh, a bit of sanity in America. It feels great. Consider it the calm before the storm. When the mid-terms arrive, expect the knuckleheads to come out in force.


19

BLATANT RACISM


-88

Nope, blatant law enforcement


12

It’s racist to arrest criminals? That’s a new one.


10

Only 13 taken!? That’s pathetic numbers, should be tens and tens of thousands of illegals taken


51

I for one certainly will not be supporting or condoning blatant racism.


-27

It’s about time that someone cares about the tax paying, legal residents ahead of those who broke the law to enter the country and some who continue to break the law. Sanctuary Laws are against real citizens. We need to deport all those who entered the country illegally.


86

Any “illegal alien” that gets a paycheck, pays taxes. They might not file taxes, but they pay; unlike the billionaires that file but dont pay.


-64

True Leftist B.S. the billionaires as you call them have accountants that ensure they follow the tax code to the letter. If illegals pay taxes or not is not the issue, they entered the country illegally. They are criminals, what other illegal activities do you expose.


22

You do realize you’re talking about around 11 million people. The low estimate for the cost of such a mass movement of people is conservatively between $300 and $500 billion, but the true cost would be well over a trillion dollars or more for loss of productivity, considering that of those 11 million, about 10.6 million of them have jobs in the U.S. Loss of such a large chunk of our work force could throw this nation into a very devastating economic downturn. I’m just not sure those are your intentions. Now I am all for deporting criminals, but well over 90% of the people you’re talking about are law abiding and productive members of society.


-20

Those who entered our country illegally are not law abiding citizens, they are criminals.


17

Sure, criminals who come to our country, do the hardest of the work we need, pay taxes on that work and represent an essential segment of our working population, particularly in agriculture, with production that substantially bolsters the U.S. GDP (gross domestic product, of which the U.S. has a third larger than any other nation and has been resilient in its domestic economy for many years with only a few downturns—08 and 20—in recent years).


Without an expanding population, the U.S. GDP will stagnate and that will mean prices will rise while interest rates stay high. Good luck making it in such an economic environment. Ronald Reagan recognized this in the 1980’s and provided 3 million undocumented migrants with amnesty. If the current administration wanted to truly solve the problem they would spend the $300-500 billion to sort out these migrants, send some home and give amnesty to those who are productive.


Of course this strategy is not in the Trump playbook. He simply wants headlines about deportations and bogus attorneys overstepping their constitutional prerogative, without ever solving the problem. At last check, the Trump administration ICE has deported 10% fewer criminal aliens this year than Biden did last year. Go figure.


-7

Additionally, no way 10.6 million of 11 million (way low estamate) are working. If they are, they are taking good paying (or used to be) jobs from American blue collar workers. This is BS. Sanctuary for the elite to get services for substandard wages. The oligarchs and racists are the party who let them in by the millions to work for cheap. Save America’s working class and send them home.


11

I agree the number is a low estimate. Probably more like 15-20 million, but I’m just going by accepted facts. Another accepted fact is that the unemployment rate among undocumented migrants is about 4%. Now, I’m no math wizard but 4% of 11 million is slightly mote than 400,000, putting the total number working at about 10.6 million. I can cite reliable sources for this.


So, I wonder if you really believe that Ronald Reagan was an “oligarch and racist” because he championed immigrant rights the entire time he was in the White House. He understood that immigrants have always been the backbone of this nation. In his Farewell Address in 1989, he said this:


“I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That’s how I saw it, and see it still.”


-5

Reagan was also in support of a secure border and an orderly immigration process.


1

Most of what you wrote, was proclaimed by the South in 1861…


0

Excellent!


74