White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller delivered blistering remarks this week, directly targeting sanctuary city and state officials who continue to defy federal immigration law.
Appearing on Hannity Tuesday night, Miller accused Democratic leaders of obstructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by releasing criminal illegal aliens back into communities despite federal detainer requests. He warned that their actions could expose them to serious legal consequences — including potential felony charges.
“These officials had a deadline to comply with federal law and hand over the criminal illegal aliens in their custody — the child rapists, the child predators, the drug traffickers, the human traffickers,” Miller said. “The sanctuary cities like Boston refused to turn over these menacing threats to public safety. And so now they face not only the revocation of funds, not only the loss of taxpayer support, but also potential criminal charges for harboring and smuggling. This is as real as it gets, Sean.”
Miller’s warning followed Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s announcement that she would continue to shield individuals in custody from ICE, even if they had committed serious crimes. The stance drew national attention, reigniting the debate over whether sanctuary policies place political ideology over public safety.
Citing Federal Law
Miller pointed to 8 U.S. Code § 1324, which criminalizes the act of bringing, transporting, harboring, or concealing illegal aliens. Violations of the statute carry severe penalties, including prison time. According to Miller, sanctuary officials who obstruct ICE detainers are engaging in “systemic criminal violations” and openly flouting federal law.
He stressed that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice have made clear that compliance is not optional. “The Department of Justice laid out to these mayors how they were breaking our laws, and they refused to change their policy,” Miller said. “Attorney General Bondi is going to see this thing through to the end.”
Targeting California Leaders
Miller did not hold back when naming names. He accused California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of endangering children by refusing to cooperate with ICE.
“They are guilty of crimes against humanity for their facilitating child trafficking and sex trafficking,” he said. “They think this is a game. They think this is a joke. This is life and death.”
Sean Hannity underscored the severity of Miller’s claims, asking what would happen if an ordinary citizen acted in the same way sanctuary leaders do.
“If I went down to the border, picked people up that were illegally in the country, transported them around, maybe gave them a place to stay, even tipped them off about ICE raids — what would happen to me?” Hannity asked.
“You’d be facing felony charges,” Miller shot back. “Charges for trafficking, charges for smuggling, charges for harboring, charges for concealing, charges for illegal interstate commerce. Charge after charge after charge.”
Miller’s Broader Critique of Democrats
Beyond specific city officials, Miller widened his criticism to the Democratic Party as a whole, describing it as an “extremist organization” that prioritizes criminals over law-abiding citizens.
“All you see, all day long, are crazy Democrats screeching on TV on behalf of foreign terrorists, hardened criminals, and violent illegal aliens,” he argued. “A political party exclusively dedicated to protecting terrorists, criminals, gang bangers, and murderers. That’s what they’ve become.”
The Bigger Picture
Miller’s remarks highlight the mounting tension between the Trump administration and sanctuary jurisdictions across the country. The Department of Justice has already warned that continued obstruction could result in withheld federal funding — and now, officials could face prosecution as well.
Whether those threats result in actual indictments remains to be seen, but Miller left no doubt about where the White House stands. “What they’re doing is evil,” he concluded. “And President Trump will see that they are held to account for their crimes.”
For now, sanctuary city leaders appear unwilling to change course. But with federal law, political pressure, and the possibility of criminal charges converging, the battle over immigration enforcement is far from over.
