Blitz Bureau
ITHACA, NY: A top US Justice Department official said a county sheriff’s office in upstate New York would be investigated “for potential prosecution” because it released a Mexican citizen from jail even though a judge had signed a warrant for the man’s arrest, reported Associated Press.
But Tompkins County officials quickly shot back, saying that the sheriff’s office had, in fact, contacted the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement about the man’s pending release, and that federal agents hadn’t come by to pick him up.
“There was no interference with federal immigration enforcement efforts,” the AP report said quoting a statement by the county officials. . The back-and-forth between federal prosecutors and the county began when Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove said in a news release that the office of Sheriff Derek Osborne, a Democrat, had failed to detain a 27-year-old Mexican man after he finished serving a sentence for assault on January 28.
Federal agents arrested the man on a year-old criminal charge of illegally reentering the United States after a prior deportation. Bove cited “sanctuary city” policies in the county’s seat, Ithaca, New York, as he complained about having to re-arrest the man, saying it created a dangerous situation. He said the US attorney’s office in Syracuse, New York, had made a commitment “to investigate these circumstances for potential prosecution.”
“The Justice Department will not tolerate actions that endanger law enforcement and make their jobs harder than they already are, as they work to protect us all,” Bove said. Osborne did not respond to phone or emailed messages from The Associated Press seeking comment, but county officials released a statement saying the sheriff and his staff followed the law.
“DOJ’s assertion that the Tompkins County Sheriff did anything to put federal law enforcement officers in danger is false and offensive,” it said. “The safety of all law enforcement is our top priority. In contrast, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were notified of when the individual in question was going to be released and had every opportunity to come to the jail to obtain the individual in question without any need for a pursuit or other incident.” A spokesperson for the US attorney’s office in Syracuse said the office would have no comment beyond the statement it released on Bove’s behalf.
