Newly minted U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli is taking the lead on cracking down on California’s sanctuary state policy.
Essayli, the Attorney for the Central District of California, launched Operation Guardian Angel to neutralize sanctuary state policies and arrest illegal immigrants who are in county jails.
The big picture: Operation Guardian Angel will file complaints and arrest warrants to allow federal law enforcement to take as many defendants as possible into custody from state jails.
- So far the program has resulted in the arrest of 13 defendants as of May 15. The program started on May 10.
Go deeper: Operation Guardian Angel includes members from Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Homeland Security; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Border Patrol.
- The task force works to scan a criminal database to identify illegal immigrants who have been arrested that the Department of Justice can charge with felony illegal-reentry.
Why it matters: The Central District office pointed to the case of Jose Cristian Saravia-Sanchez, 30, of Mexico, who shot and killed an Inglewood Man in February who tried to stop him from stealing a catalytic converter.
- Saravia-Sanchez was an illegal immigrant who had already been convicted of vehicle theft and was removed from the United States in 2013. He had been arrested 11 times between June 2022 and August 2024, and local law enforcement was prevented by state law from complying with an immigration detainer request.
What he’s saying: Essayli told Fox News that the Central District will be a testing ground for other sanctuary jurisdictions across the nation. He plans to file up to 50 warrants a week in the district.
- “Even the worst criminal aliens in state custody are frequently released into the community because California’s sanctuary state policies block cooperation with federal law enforcement,” Essayli said in a statement. “These laws effectively render federal immigration detainers meaningless. The days of giving criminal illegal aliens a free pass are over. While California may be presently disregarding detainers, it cannot ignore federal arrest warrants.”
