As the Trump administration intensifies its commitment to deporting illegal immigrants, the acting U.S. deputy attorney general focused on an upstate New York sheriff who released a criminal migrant back onto the streets. Emil Bove III, a former member of President Donald Trump’s personal legal team and newly appointed acting deputy attorney general, stated that the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York was investigating the “failure” of Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne, a Democrat.
“Yesterday, despite the warrant, a defendant with no legal status and a history of violence was released into the community,” Bove said in a release on Thursday, Jan. 30. “Federal agents risked their safety and pursued the defendant in unsafe conditions.” Bove noted “the U.S. Attorney’s commitment to investigate these circumstances for potential prosecution,” emphasizing the Trump administration’s focus on the nationwide battle between federal agencies and local sanctuary jurisdictions, which were adopted by the city of Ithaca, which is the seat of Tompkins County.
Ithaca, home to Cornell University, has placed a spotlight on student safety as border crossings during former President Biden’s tenure became a national concern. Jesus Romero-Hernandez, a 27-year-old Mexican citizen, had been removed from the United States six times between July and September 2016, according to a complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Romero pleaded guilty to a New York state assault charge last month and was sentenced to time served. However, on January 28, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office released him despite a federal arrest warrant signed by a magistrate judge, Fox News reported. On January 30, Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended Romero with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), according to the DOJ.
“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. “We will use every tool at our disposal to prevent sanctuary city policies from impeding and obstructing lawful federal operations designed to make America safe again and end the national crisis arising from four years of failed immigration policy.”
He added that the U.S. attorney’s office in Syracuse, N.Y., had made a commitment “to investigate these circumstances for potential prosecution.” Meanwhile, in a statement to Fox News Digital, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office pushed back against Bove’s statement, calling it “false and offensive.” The department noted that Osborne “acted consistently” with local and state policy, which, of course, is to provide unlawful sanctuary for people in the U.S. illegally.
“There was no interference with federal immigration enforcement efforts,” the sheriff’s office said. “DOJ’s assertion that the Tompkins County Sheriff did anything to put federal law enforcement officers in danger is false and offensive. 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.”
The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office and the Ithaca Police Department (IPD) operate in sanctuary city jurisdictions, which include policies that limit local law enforcement’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Fox News added.
The City Code specifically prohibits police from actively assisting federal immigration agencies, stating that officers’ primary responsibility is addressing local criminal activity rather than immigration status. Ithaca was also among several cities that signed an amicus brief opposing a 2019 Trump-era policy that would have cut federal funding for sanctuary cities that do not comply with immigration regulations, the outlet said.