California Democrats, led by Governor Gavin Newsom, claim to be champions of compassion and safety.
But the latest arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveals just how dangerous their “sanctuary” policies have become. ICE officers in San Diego apprehended Ezequiel Cruz-Rodriguez, a Mexican national, convicted pedophile, and documented Logan Heights gang member who was living inside a daycare facility.
Cruz-Rodriguez’s criminal record is horrifying. According to ICE, his past convictions include sex crimes against a child under 14, sexual battery, illegal firearm possession, robbery, and drunk driving.
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He had been deported from the United States three separate times—1996, 2003, and 2012—yet still found his way back into California.
This time, he managed to live undetected in a home daycare run by his wife, a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. It is difficult to imagine a clearer example of systemic failure.
This case highlights what Republicans have warned about for years: sanctuary policies do not protect families, they endanger them.
California law bars state and local law enforcement from fully cooperating with federal immigration authorities, limiting their ability to hold criminals like Cruz-Rodriguez until ICE can remove them.
As a result, dangerous offenders slip through the cracks, returning to communities where they commit more crimes.
The data confirm this trend. Between 2014 and 2019, California released over 16,000 criminal aliens that ICE had sought to deport.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, roughly one in four of them went on to commit additional crimes. These included sexual assault, assault with a deadly weapon, and gang-related violence.
When Governor Newsom proudly declares that California is a “sanctuary state,” this is what he is protecting—illegal immigrants with violent criminal records, not law-abiding citizens.
President Trump has made it clear that criminal illegal aliens are his top priority for removal.
Under his administration, ICE has refocused its efforts on arresting offenders with convictions for sex crimes, gang activity, and weapons charges.
Democrats like Gavin Newsom argue that sanctuary laws build “trust” between immigrant communities and local law enforcement.
But what trust is left when parents discover that a convicted pedophile was allowed to live inside a licensed daycare?
It is SICKENING to think this pedophile criminal illegal alien was residing inside the home where a daycare operates and hiding out in a sanctuary city.
Under the leadership of @Sec_Noem, sickos like this will not walk free in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/30Evwo1Yab
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 29, 2025
What comfort do families have knowing that state politicians actively prevent cooperation with ICE, even when dealing with child predators and gang members?
The answer is none.
Instead, these policies create fear and anger among parents who expect their government to prioritize the safety of children over political ideology.
Republicans have consistently argued that immigration enforcement should begin with removing the most dangerous criminals. This case proves them right.
California has one of the largest illegal immigrant populations in the nation—estimated at over 2.7 million people, according to the Pew Research Center. Among them are thousands of individuals with criminal records.
Yet state officials continue to obstruct federal enforcement while offering taxpayer-funded health care, education benefits, and legal defense for deportation cases.
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