White Condemns Philadelphia Sanctuary City Policy after Illegal Immigrant Charged with Raping a Child
HARRISBURG-- Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) today condemned Philadelphia’s sanctuary city policy following a request by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that the city turn over an illegal immigrant charged with raping a child in Philadelphia.
That man, Ramon Aguirre-Ochoa, 45, is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, indecent assault on person less than 13, indecent exposure, and simple assault. He is currently being held at Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility on a $500,000 bail.
“I can think of no better example of the dangerous consequences caused by Mayor Jim Kenney’s reckless sanctuary city policy, which is an open invitation to criminals who know they will be protected from deportation,” White said.
According to a recent statement from ICE, “As a prior deportee, Aguirre-Ochoa was slated to have his removal order reinstated and be removed in 2015 after local criminal charges against him in March 2014 were dismissed. At that time, Aguirre-Ochoa was released from local custody when Philadelphia authorities failed to honor an ICE detainer. He remained at large until his most recent arrest,” White said. “Had Philadelphia turned him over to ICE in 2015, we may not be talking about this horrific event today.”
White has introduced
House Bill 1885, which would hold responsible any sanctuary city in Pennsylvania for the damages to persons or property as a result of criminal activity by unauthorized aliens.
Under her legislation, if a law enforcement officer of a municipality has identified an individual being arrested as not legally in the United States, he or she must immediately report the individual to the appropriate United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office within the Department of Homeland Security.
“Sanctuary cities place themselves above the law at the expense of the innocent. This is not a partisan issue. This is a safety issue. The Obama Administration, former Gov. Rendell and former Mayor Nutter all oppose Philadelphia being a sanctuary city,” White said. “Essentially, Philadelphia allows undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds and who pose a threat to the safety of Americans, to be safe from federal expulsion. This dangerous policy must not be tolerated.”
Read ICE’s full statement here.
Representative Martina White
170th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
267.207.0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com
RepWhite.com /
facebook.com/RepMartinaWhite