Thomas Homan ICE Director

    

Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan said California “better hold on tight” after its liberal Democratic governor allowed a sanctuary state law to take effect this week.

Neil Cavuto said that Gov. Jerry Brown claimed the law will protect illegal immigrants living quietly in the shadows of society from law enforcement intent on “yanking them out of there.”

“I think it’s terrible,” Homan said, adding that Brown’s action put politics in front of public safety.

He said that rank-and-file police officers are opposed to the new measure and that Brown’s administration didn’t consult them before approving the law.

“If [Brown] thinks he is protecting the community, he’s doing quite the opposite,” Homan said. “[Brown] is knowingly putting law enforcement at risk.

“There’s no sanctuary from law enforcement,” he said. “California better hold on tight – they’re about to see a lot more deportation officers. If politicians don’t protect their communities then ICE will.”

Homan said illegal alien smuggling organizations will use the California law as a “selling point” and that Brown “bit off a lot more than he can chew.”

Homan said that Brown and other sanctuary-jurisdiction leaders may have violated 8 U.S. Code § 1324 – relating to “harboring certain aliens.”

He said he hopes the Justice Department will look into whether officials can be criminally charged under the statute.

According to text of the federal law cited by Homan, any person “knowing… the fact that an alien has come to… the United States in violation of the law, conceals, harbors or shields from detection… such [an] alien in any place” can face fines and/or up to several years in prison.