Jordan slams sanctuary mayor for Venezuelan gang member's alleged attack on ICE agents

Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) grilled Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) on Wednesday over the city's refusal to comply with federal immigration officials' detainer requests.

During a congressional oversight hearing on sanctuary policies, Jordan blasted the mayor for a preventable violent clash, allegedly between a gang member and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

'An officer got assaulted because of your policy.'

New York Mayor Eric Adams (D), Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D), and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D) were also in the hot seat on Wednesday.

Jordan opened his comments by asking Johnston about Abraham Gonzalez, an alleged Venezuelan gang member who was released from jail on Friday.

The congressman explained that Gonzalez was charged with aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft, and felony menacing. Despite ICE's detainer request, Gonzalez was released back onto Denver streets.

ICE had requested a 48-hour notice of Gonzalez's release. However, according to Jordan, Denver law enforcement officials provided the federal immigration agency with a one-hour notice.

Johnston argued that, in this instance and 1,200 others, Denver cooperated with ICE's detainer requests by notifying the agency about the planned release. Yet, he did not deny Jordan's claim that ICE was given only one-hour notice.

"We notified them of release. There was six ICE agents present when he was released, so they had enough time to respond and to be present," Johnston stated.

Jordan explained that the alleged gang member was not turned over to ICE inside of the jail. Instead, he was released out onto the streets outside of the prison, where several ICE agents were waiting to arrest him in the parking lot.

"Guess what happened in the parking lot?" Jordan asked. "One of the ICE officers got assaulted, didn't he? They had to tase the guy, didn't they?"

Jordan further noted that only two ICE officers would have been necessary to turn the individual over to federal custody if the transfer had been completed inside the safety of the jail.

"Do you know why you don't do it that way?" Jordan asked Johnston. "Because you're a sanctuary city."

Johnston continued to deny that Denver shields illegal aliens from law enforcement officials. The mayor claimed that since the altercation, he has contacted ICE to "coordinate on strategies" for release.

"An officer got assaulted because of your policy," Jordan remarked.

John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE field office director, responded to Johnston's comments in a post on X, stating that the mayor "does not care about the safety of citizens."

"He cares about illegal aliens and gang members more. American citizens should come first," he added.

On Tuesday, Fabbricatore spoke before the oversight committee's subcommittee Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation. During the hearing, he detailed how Colorado's sanctuary policies "limit cooperation" with ICE, including restrictions on the department of motor vehicles and state labor records.

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