Spanberger refuses to honor ICE detainer in murder case, escalating showdown with Trump DHS
Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is taking heat for telling the Department of Homeland Security that if it wants to take custody of an illegal immigrant facing state murder charges,...
By Fox News · Fox News
Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is taking heat for telling the Department of Homeland Security that if it wants to take custody of an illegal immigrant facing state murder charges, the department should obtain a judicial warrant, a document that critics and legal experts say is irrelevant in this particular case. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said judicial warrants were not applicable for Abdul Jalloh, a Sierra Leone national who allegedly stabbed 41-year-old Fredericksburg mother Stephanie Minter to death at a bus stop in February. Miller was among several Republicans to criticize Spanberger in a clash that underscored a broader battle between DHS and so-called sanctuary states and cities. The administration has argued that Democratic leaders of those jurisdictions are resisting cooperating with DHS, leading to violent criminals being released onto the streets, while Democrats say their policies are in place to enhance public safety. Judicial warrants "have nothing to do with deportation," Miller wrote on X Monday. "Zero. Nothing." TOM HOMAN VOWS TO WORK AROUND NEW DEM VA GOV SPANBERGER'S EXECUTIVE ORDER ENDING ICE COOPERATION "The system for deporting criminal aliens from state custody is, and always has been, ICE requesting a custody transfer prior to release," Miller said. "Thousands of criminals are removed every week through this system. In Sanctuary cities/states, criminal aliens are simply set free to maim and murder." Federal government authorities can obtain judicial warrants from a court when there is probable cause that a federal crime was committed and are not used in civil immigration proceedings. Andrew Arthur, a law and policy fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that under immigration law, the Department of Homeland Security can begin deportation proceedings after serving detainers and administrative warrants on jurisdictions detaining immigrants who are allegedly living in the country i…