White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to weigh in when asked if Democrat-run cities nationwide are too soft on crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
During Wednesday's press briefing, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Jean-Pierre why federal immigration law is not tougher on border-crossers who are accused of serious crimes. Doocy referenced the migrants who were found squatting in the basement of a New York City apartment this week — some of whom have been arrested on drugs and weapons charges.
"Six of them now are out on bail. Does President Biden think policies like that are making the country safer?" Doocy asked.
Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the specifics of an active case but did say that "anyone found guilty of a crime should be held accountable."
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"We have been very, very clear about that. And if a person poses a danger to the community, they should be detained pretrial," she added.
In a follow-up question, Doocy asked if President Biden believes some liberal cities are too soft on crime generally.
"I'm not going to speak to every state or city here. It's not for me to speak to," Jean-Pierre said, declining to answer the question. She reiterated that Biden believes those guilty of crimes should be held accountable.
"We welcome local law enforcement support and cooperation in apprehending and removing [those] in this country who pose a risk to our national security or also public safety. If they are found guilty, they should be held accountable. That's our — that's where we stand on this."
High-profile crimes involving migrants have captured national headlines amid record numbers of illegal border crossings under Biden's watch.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens has said that in fiscal year 2024, agents have apprehended more than 6,400 subjects with criminal convictions. In February, Border Patrol nabbed 10 illegal immigrants who had violent criminal histories including murder, rape and drugs or weapons trafficking convictions.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have complained that "sanctuary" policies in certain Democrat-run cities have hampered their ability to get criminal aliens off the streets by prohibiting local law enforcement from cooperating with them.
When ICE believes a removable illegal immigrant has been arrested on criminal charges, it will lodge a detainer — a request that they be notified before the immigrant is released from custody and to keep them in custody until ICE can take custody of them.
But sanctuary jurisdictions generally do not honor detainers, sometimes arguing that enforcement is not their responsibility and that doing so has a chilling effect on relations between immigrants and the community.
"When law enforcement agencies fail to honor immigration detainers and release serious criminal offenders onto the streets, it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission," ICE’s website warns.
Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan, Bill Melugin and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
