Trump expands immigration crackdown to California prisons

Trump administration officials requested that several California counties share a list of all incarcerated illegal migrants, according to a Thursday statement from the Department of Justice. Investigators petitioned Los Angeles and San Francisco counties, along with other major counties, for a list of the crimes illegal migrants stand accused of, any convictions, and their projected release dates. Attorney General Pam Bondi described removing criminal illegal migrants as the administration's highest priority.

How will the data be used? Too many of the illegal migrants who have invaded the country have also committed horrible violent crimes on American soil, according to the DOJ’s release. Although illegal migrants break federal law by definition, immigration officers aimed to use the data to prioritize deportations and remove the most dangerous migrants first, the statement continued.

The DOJ warned that it would move to subpoena sheriffs who refuse to comply with the request. The prison sweep is only the latest move to combat illegal migration within the state. About a month before the data request, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided a marijuana farm where Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested at least 70 undocumented migrants, the DEA said. The administration also sued the city of Los Angeles late last month over its sanctuary city policies that the DOJ said illegally protect undocumented migrants.

Dig deeper: Read my previous report for more about the Trump administration’s sanctuary city lawsuit against LA.