Sacramento Mayor's Response To ICE Director's Arrest Threats: 'You Know Where To Find Me'
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – There was a sanctuary state showdown after the nation's top immigration cop took aim at city leaders across California.
"This isn't the America I grew up in. We got to take these sanctuary cities on. We got to take them to court and start charging these politicians with crimes," said Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In an interview Tuesday, Homan told Fox News that politicians themselves should be arrested for interfering with federal law.
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"If the politicians in California don't want to protect their communities than ICE will," he said.
"You want to arrest local officials for standing up for immigrants, you know where to find me," said Mayor Steinberg of Sacramento.
Steinberg was a large proponent of strengthening Sacramento as a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants and couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Today you have the director of Homeland Security making the most absurd ludicrous Trumpian statement possible," he said.
California passed a measure last year that no longer allows local officers to cooperate with the feds unless it involves a serious crime.
But Homan claims there's just no sanctuary from federal law enforcement.
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"California better hold on tight. They're about to see a lot more special agents, a lot more deportations in the state of California," Homan said.
Dismayed by the comments, the mayor said he will continue to protect the rights of California's immigrants.
"Who would scare people with this kind of rhetoric? Shame on you," he said.
The governor's office released this statement in part that reads:
"We'd encourage this individual to better educate himself on what laws in California do and don't do before frothing and fearmongering on Fox News. A good place to start is the Governor's SB 54 signing message."
