LA jails refuse to turn 25,000 criminal illegal immigrants over to ICE

Los Angeles, home to the largest jail system in the United States, has ignored more than 25,000 requests from federal authorities to turn over illegal immigrants after they have been arrested for crimes by local law enforcement, according to federal data obtained by the Washington Examiner.

This week, Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced his department would stop transferring even the most dangerous offenders in the Los Angeles County Jail to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In his explanation, Villanueva said he was looking out for the 1 million LA residents who are also illegally residing in the county and too scared to report crimes to police because it could mean being sent back to their home country.