Child molester's looming prison release reignites sanctuary showdown in wake of Dem election sweep

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has asked Seattle authorities to hand over Leomar Alexander Lopez Zambrano, a Venezuelan national in the country illegally, when his prison term ends. He has been convicted of child molestation, and the Department of Homeland Security says the city is declining to honor the detainer, which would leave him free to return to the community. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin blamed what he called sanctuary politicians and noted that the man faced two counts, according to Fox News.

The dispute adds to existing friction between the Trump administration's immigration officers and sanctuary jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal enforcement. It arrives right after Tuesday's elections, in which Democrats won control of the House and are set to take the Senate majority as well. That shift has focused fresh attention on the agency at the center of so many fights during Trump's second term, and on which officials might face scrutiny from the new Congress.

Hans von Spakovsky, an immigration expert at Advancing American Freedom, told Fox News Digital he expects sanctuary jurisdictions to feel emboldened. He also suggested Democrats might pursue impeachment of border czar Tom Homan over misconduct he described as imagined.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →