Prison officials in Philadelphia continue to ignore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration detainers, forcing officers to confront dangerous criminal illegal alien offenders in uncontrolled prison and jail parking lots. Prisoner transfers between law enforcement agencies routinely happen inside the controlled jail environment so officers can safely assume inmate custody.
Philadelphia is only one of several sanctuary cities that hope to give criminal illegal aliens one last chance to escape back into their communities and avoid the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policies.
ICE arrested Anderson Nunez-Hernandez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, as he was exiting the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Complex in late February. According to ICE, Nunez-Hernadez is a criminal alien with a prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute, for which he served a 23-month sentence. Philadelphia officials forced ICE to apprehend Nunez-Hernandez as he exited the facility in public, as the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Department refused to honor an immigration detainer.
Nunez-Hernandez was arrested by the Border Patrol for illegal entry into the United States near McAllen, Texas, in October 2021. He was issued a notice to appear and paroled from ICE custody to await a scheduled immigration hearing in Philadelphia on Dec. 1, 2021.
Nunez-Hernandez was part of a narcotics investigation by Pennsylvania law enforcement authorities that resulted in his arrest for the offense of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance after a large amount of fentanyl was seized during the execution of a search warrant. Nunez-Hernandez was later convicted of that offense.
In another Philadelphia case, prison officials forced ICE to arrest Amilcar Josue Villalvir-Mendez, a Honduras citizen, at the Northampton County Prison in Easton on February 27. As with the previous case involving Nunez-Hernandez, prison officials failed to honor the ICE detainer placed on Villalvir-Mendez and prohibited agents from assuming custody of him within the security of the prison.
According to ICE, Villalvir-Mendez is a criminal alien with prior convictions for aggravated assault, theft by unlawful taking, possession of marijuana, speeding more than 25 MPH over the speed limit, and retail theft.
Philadelphia’s ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Operations Director Brian McShane issued a statement about the sanctuary city’s policy, saying, “Failing to honor immigration detainers compromises public safety and squanders taxpayer funds. It forces ICE to divert substantial resources to locate and apprehend criminal aliens in unpredictable, high-risk public areas.” ICE officials repeatedly told Breitbart Texas that taking dangerous criminal aliens into custody in uncontrolled environments put not only agents’ lives at risk but increased the risk to the community and to the inmate being arrested.
The alarming trend of deliberately forcing confrontations between federal law enforcement agents and criminal illegal aliens released from jails was highlighted during a recent hearing in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform titled “A Hearing with Sanctuary City Mayors.”
During the hearing, the case of Abraham Garcia, a 23-year-old illegal alien and suspected Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang member, was highlighted in an exchange between Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Democrat Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Garcia was released into the parking lot of a Denver Jail on February 28 after authorities refused to honor an ICE detainer.
Security video released by the Denver Department of Public Safety showed Garcia fleeing from several ICE agents after his release in the parking lot of the facility. Agents captured Garcia after a foot pursuit and physical struggle. Garcia is now in ICE custody awaiting deportation.
Jordan admonished Johnston, saying, “345 days you had him in custody. And ICE said, hey, can you give us 48 hours heads up? You gave them one hour notice… An officer got assaulted because of your policy, which says we’re going to release him to, in your words, not mine, to the streets. They have to arrest him in a parking lot.”
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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