Sheriff ‘Sanctuary Sally’ Protects Convicted Criminal Aliens, Then Lies About It

In what appears to be a never-ending stream of lawlessness by those sworn to uphold the law and the U.S. Constitution, a top nonpartisan watchdog group that investigates and exposes government corruption and criminal activity discovered yet another Texas law enforcement chief who purposely fails to follow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protocols. In fact, this Texas cop is known as “Sheriff Sanctuary Sally.”

On Thursday, amid several media feeding-frenzies — U.S. attack on Syria, U.S. Supreme Court judge controversy, intelligence leaking at the White House, etc. — Judicial Watch released a press statement announcing its legal team had finally obtained 204 illegal-alien Detainer Requests denied to the Homeland Security Department’s ICE by the Travis County, Texas, Sheriff Sally Hernandez.

Sheriff Hernandez — who is known by local reporters as “Sanctuary Sally” — has been the subject of many news stories about the friction between her and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who opposes so-called sanctuary city or county policies favored by liberal-left government leaders.

In a statement regarding Gov. Abbott’s complaints Sheriff Hernandez wrote: “Travis County Sheriff’s Office is completely lawful and upholding the Constitution with our ICE policy. We are also in full compliance with 8 USC 1373. Our policy states in item #10 that ‘This policy in no way prohibits or restricts sending information to or requesting or receiving information from ICE regarding an individual’s immigration or citizenship status, and nothing in this policy shall be construed to prohibit or restrict TCSO personnel from exchanging information regarding the immigration or citizenship status of any individual with ICE.”

However, the documents obtained by Judicial Watch revealed that illegal aliens were protected by the Sheriff’s Office despite having been charged or convicted of 31 acts of violence, 14 thefts or burglaries, and three acts or threats of terrorism. “Forty-four of the denied requests were for inmates originally detained by Homeland Security and temporarily transferred to Travis County (home to the state capital in Austin) for disposition of state or local charges,” said the Judicial Watch statement on Thursday.

The actual sanctuary policy, the “Travis County Sheriff’s Office Policy on Cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” limits the extent of the Sheriff’s Office’s cooperation with ICE agents.

For example, the Feb.  2, 2017 edition of the Austin American-Statesman reported that the “Sheriff’s Office  declined 196 detention requests from ICE” and that “once the ICE detainers were removed, 37 people were released on bail. These inmates may have been able to post bail prior to the new sanctuary policy, but they would have been released into ICE custody for possible deportation.”

On February 3 — the day after the newspaper story — Judicial Watch submitted a Public Information Act Request to the sheriff’s office asking for:

1. The 196 detention requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Such requests may include Department of Homeland Security Forms I-247N, I-247D or I-247-X; and
2. Any records provided to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by the Travis County’s Sheriff’s office that declines the 196 detention requests.

Based on the “Immigration Detainer—Request for Voluntary Action” forms obtained by Judicial Watch, the illegal aliens protected by this sanctuary policy had the following criminal records:

• 58 DWIs;
• 34 acts of violence (assault, aggregated assault, assault with a deadly weapon, etc.);
• 14 thefts/burglaries or other crimes against property;
• 8 drug-possession charges; 6 firearms violations;
• 45 other assorted felonies and misdemeanors (including contempt and failure to appear in court);
• and 35 unlisted or unclassified charges.  [NOTE: Totals do not add due to multiple charges/convictions in some instances.]

“These documents provide disturbing evidence of how Travis County’s sanctuary policy protects criminal illegal aliens, many of whom are dangerous felons, from deportation,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.  “Sanctuary policies such as these put the public’s safety at risk.”

According to Fitton, under the new Travis County sanctuary policy, the sheriff’s office now honors only select detention requests for inmates charged or convicted of a crime on a narrowly specified list of such crimes as murder and aggravated sexual assault.  For all other crimes, ICE must present the sheriff with a warrant or judicial order before the inmate will be detained:

(a) when the detainer request is accompanied by a judicial warrant or court order for continued detention or notification to the extent required by the judicial warrant of court order; or (b) when the individual who is the subject of the ICE detainer request is charged with or has been convicted of the following felonies under Texas law: (1) Capita Murder … (2) Murder – First Degree … (3) Aggravated Sexual Assault … (4) Continuous Smuggling of Persons … A conviction consists of a final entry of adjudication of guilt by a court pursuant to statue and after exhaustion of the appellate process. If a court later (a) vacates the judicial warrant or court order, or (b) the individual’s conviction and/or sentence is overturned, TCSO will decline the ICE detainer request relating to that individual.

“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott intends to support federal actions against sanctuary policies by signing legislation that could put sheriffs of sanctuary cities in jail. The governor announced $1.5 million in cuts for the county in response to Travis County Sheriff Hernandez’s policy,” according to Judicial Watch officials.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Base reported on Sunday that President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers are ramping up operations to capture dangerous illegal-alien felons and the Trump team is already taking contractors’ bids to build a security barrier at the U.S.-Mexico border.