The United States Attorney’s Office has put a new operation in motion to challenge California’s sanctuary state policies that create a haven for criminal illegal aliens, based on information they released. Dubbed “Operation Guardian Angel,” this crackdown targets felons without lawful status in the US who are currently held in county jails across the Central District of California, which spans several densely populated counties, including Los Angeles and Orange County. According to the announcement, federal law enforcement aims to issue arrest warrants enabling them to take custody of these individuals.
In a concerted retaliation against the perceived sheltering of criminals by the state, Operation Guardian Angel has begun its quest to file complaints and arrest warrants, a move that has led to the apprehension of 13 defendants since its inception on May 10. The Central District of California is estimated to harbor around 1.5 million illegal aliens, among whom authorities claim are gang members and other high-level offenders. Federal officials, frustrated by the local policies, declare that such protection measures cast federal immigration detainers aside. United States Attorney Bill Essayli was quoted, stating, “These laws effectively render federal immigration detainers meaningless.”
Back in February 2025, José Cristian Saravia-Sánchez, who had a significant criminal history and was illegally in the country, was involved in the fatal shooting of a man in Inglewood. After trying to thwart the theft of a catalytic converter, the Inglewood man lost his life. Despite Saravia-Sánchez’s criminal record and multiple re-entries into the US after deportation, the sanctuary state policies impeded local law enforcement from honoring an immigration detainer. The United States Attorney’s Office claims that “The days of giving criminal illegal aliens a free pass are over.”…