An elected law enforcer who was named America's "Sheriff of the Year" in 2011 is blaming the Obama administration for the problem of undocumented immigrants in the United States, citing the recent fatal shooting of a woman in San Francisco.
Paul Babeu, the sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, told Newsmax TV's "The Steve Malzberg Show" in a recent interview that Juan Francisco Lopez Sanchez, the suspect in the killing of Kathryn Steinle, had 70 felony convictions.
"This guy had no right, no business being in this country ... He's an example for all of what's wrong with immigration in America," Babeu said.
"President Obama, [former Attorney General] Eric Holder, the current AG [Attorney General Loretta Lynch] and [Homeland Security Secretary] Jeh Johnson ... have gutted our immigration law to the point that [illegal immigrants] have far stronger rights," the decorated sheriff said.
Babeu said "the criminals, the most serious offenders of criminals who don't even have standing, legitimate standing in our country — commit murder, rape, kidnapping — and what happens to these guys? They're released back into not the streets of the country they came from."
He accused President Obama of being indifferent in enforcing immigration laws.
"What do we suspect is going to happen? More of this is to come sadly and thousands and thousands of victims will be victimised with this intentional, with this deliberate indifference by this president and his failures on immigration to enforce the law," he said.
In the San Francisco killing, Sanchez was released due to the city's sanctuary policy, which prohibits city employees from aiding federal authorities in implementing immigration laws.
Babeu blasted White House spokesperson Josh Earnest's statement that there would have been more funds for border security if House Republicans did not block Obama's comprehensive immigration reform.
"That's absolute insanity. He'd never make it as a cop or a detective because that's like blaming law enforcement for local criminals committing crimes. It's just insanity," Babeu said.
