Convicted Gang Member Protected by Sanctuary City Sheriff

After federal agents arrested a former convicted gang member who was an illegal immigrant, a Texas Sheriff office was discovered to have protected him in the past.  

33-year-old Julio Cesar Mendoza Caballero, a member of the Sureños 13 gang, had been found guilty of firearms theft and was deported four times.

But a month before the feds arrested him, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office released him after he was in custody for another unrelated charge. The office ignored the immigration detainer filed by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and chose to release him anyway.  

The detainer is a legal request for the department to hold an illegal immigrant for at least 42 hours, so federal agents can prosecute or deport the individual.

This isn’t the first time the Travis County has not cooperated with the ICE. The department has a record of overlooking detainees. From January to February alone, Hernandez released 142 undocumented criminals and disregarded the immigration detainers. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said earlier in the year that the Travis County sheriff’s actions have been unacceptable. 

“It could lead to actual criminal penalties against people like this sheriff for violating their oath of office and, hopefully, put her behind bars — the bars that she has tried to release people from,” said Abbott on The Laura Ingraham Show.  

But, Sheriff Sally Hernandez disagrees and introduced a controversial policy limiting the local department’s cooperation with the ICE.  

“We in law enforcement need the cooperation of our communities of color,” said Hernandez on the PBS NewsHour earlier this year. “We need them to be running to us, and not running away from us.” 

Abbott points out that releasing criminals is collaborating with the wrong side and it makes the Texas community much more unsafe.  

“What she’s done is absolutely reprehensible … She’s actually released back out onto the streets very dangerous criminals that federal ICE agents wanted to have detained,” said Abbott. “This includes countless individuals who are here illegally who’ve been charged with felonies. It includes a person who’s been charged with sexual assault of a woman, a person who’s been charged with sexual assault of a minor.” 

However, Abbott signed into law a measure in May to punish those who don’t cooperate with the ICE agents.

“Under SB 4, Texas police will be able to ask anyone with whom they have an encounter about their immigration status; no arrest is necessary. This means that a traffic stop for speeding or even a jaywalking citation can become an opportunity for local police to ask Texas residents for proof of citizenship,” writes CNN.  

Critics of the bill argue that all illegal immigrants will now be too afraid to talk to law enforcement.

“They recognize that the new law will make their job harder because undocumented immigrants and those with undocumented family members will be wary of interacting with law enforcement due to fears of detention or deportation. Undocumented immigrants will not want to come forward as witnesses to a crime, or report incidents of domestic abuse,” writes CNN.  

But, Abbott believes SB 4 is needed for the public’s safety. Obviously, the Travis County Sheriff doesn’t take the bill seriously and is still challenging the ICE.

Mendoza is just the latest criminal to be let back on the streets by Hernandez. In 2008, he was convicted of the firearm theft. In 2013, he was deported for the fourth time after being convicted of a felony for illegal re-entry charges. 

Author’s note: This is an example of how sanctuary cities don’t care who they protect. They are willing to hide illegal aliens even at the detriment of their own citizens

Editor’s note:  This is crazy, this is nuts. They are trying to prove their liberal credentials by protecting someone who has proven evil intent. I’m not sure you can punish these cities into better perspectives, but they don’t seem to realize they are harming themselves.