Rep. Tom McClintock (Screenshot)
Rep Tom McClintock Exposes Deadly Sanctuary Policies in Explosive Hearing
California remains the largest offender of DHS sanctuary jurisdictions violations
By Megan Barth, May 15, 2026 1:32 pm
House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Chairman Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) chaired a high-stakes hearing Thursday exposing the deadly consequences of so-called sanctuary policies, using Fairfax County, Virginia, as a case study in how local officials prioritize illegal aliens over public safety.
In his opening statement and pointed questioning, McClintock dismantled the “nullification” doctrine embraced by sanctuary jurisdictions, likening it to John C. Calhoun’s failed states’ rights theory that once threatened the Republic. “These nullification or sanctuary jurisdictions now extend to 11 states–coincidentally the same number as the old Confederacy,” he stated.
WATCH:
One third of the country live in sanctuary jurisdictions.
Sanctuary policies put Americans at risk and must end. https://t.co/zIjRYAk5fX
— Tom McClintock (@RepMcClintock) May 14, 2026
McClintock zeroed in on Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and Sheriff Stacey Kincaid, both of whom have openly limited cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and are registered Democrats. Descano has boasted that his office makes “charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences,” arguing that deportation as a consequence of crime is a “perversion of justice.” McClintock called this a true perversion of equal justice under the law, noting it has triggered a Department of Justice Civil Rights Division investigation.
The hearing featured the tragic case of Stephanie Minter, a 41-year-old woman stabbed to death while waiting for a bus on February 23, 2026. Her accused killer, Abdul Jalloh, an illegal immigrant with a lengthy criminal record including trespass, drug possession, theft, larceny, and multiple malicious wounding arrests, had been in Fairfax custody at least 18 times between January 2023 and February 2026. Descano dismissed nearly all charges, and Sheriff Kincaid released him despite an ICE detainer. Fairfax County Police had warned Descano that Jalloh had “stabbed multiple people, sexually assaulted at least one woman,” and that it was “not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again.” McClintock noted that three of Fairfax County’s seven homicides last year were committed by illegal aliens who could have been deported.
In a heated exchange captured on video and shared by the House Judiciary GOP, McClintock grilled Descano on another case involving an illegal immigrant who attempted to rape a 4-year-old girl. “I understand he was later taken into custody by ICE and deported. I’m just curious, did you notify ICE of that release?” McClintock asked. Descano admitted, “We did not call ICE.” McClintock replied pointedly: “The 4-year-old’s mother had to call to get him out of your community.”
McClintock also dismantled the officials’ excuse that they require a federal judicial warrant to honor ICE detainers. Turning to former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, McClintock confirmed that such warrants are legally impossible for civil immigration matters. “So they’re basically lying to the public,” McClintock stated. “They’re counting on the public not understanding that what they’re asking for is legally impossible.”
“These policies seem reckless, dangerous, crazy, wanton and cruel,” McClintock declared. “A long list of violent crimes perpetrated by criminal illegal aliens these officials had in their custody and refused to prosecute and refused to remove from their communities answers that question with poignancy.”
McClintock highlighted how similar sanctuary policies plague his home state, where sanctuary laws forbid local cooperation with ICE. Santa Clara County stands out with the worst ICE detainer compliance record in the nation. Public records obtained by America First Legal reveal that, from January 1, 2025, through January 2026, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office received 529 ICE detainer requests and honored none of them, releasing all 529 criminal aliens that ICE sought to detain back into the community.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Robert “Bob” Jonsen, a registered Democrat elected in 2022 with strong support from Democratic leaders and organizations. During his 2022 campaign, his team explicitly stated he was “the only Democrat and only pro-choice candidate on the ballot.” He received the endorsement of Planned Parenthood and has been vocal in defending the county’s non-cooperation. Jonsen has repeatedly stated that his office does not enforce civil immigration detainers or notify ICE of upcoming releases, in accordance with California’s sanctuary law (SB 54) and county policy. “We do NOT enforce civil immigration actions or detainers,” the Sheriff’s Office has emphasized under his leadership. Jonsen has also publicly refused to support ICE operations, including during major events like the Super Bowl, declaring his department “will not be working or supporting ICE Immigration Enforcement.”
This complete non-compliance stems directly from California’s sanctuary state law, the California Values Act (SB 54), which severely restricts local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities on civil detainers.
These policies have drawn legal challenges, such as El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells’ lawsuit against Attorney General Rob Bonta over SB 54’s restrictions on local police assisting federal ICE officers. McClintock himself has long warned of the dangers, famously stating that sanctuary policies amount to “No Borders, No Country.”
California remains the largest offender of DHS sanctuary jurisdictions violations, with over 100 counties and cities — including 48 of 58 counties — listed by the Department of Homeland Security for undermining federal immigration enforcement. As of early 2026, an additional 33,179 criminal illegal aliens with active ICE detainers remained in California jails, facing charges that included 399 homicides and 3,313 assaults. The Department of Homeland Security has urgently called on Governor Gavin Newsom to halt their release into communities without notifying ICE.
The hearing comes as McClintock continues pushing the Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act, legislation aimed at withholding federal funds from jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with ICE on criminal illegal aliens. With violent crimes linked to released offenders mounting nationwide, McClintock made clear that the era of unaccountable sanctuary nullification must end.
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Yawn, Rep. Tom McClintock is running for re-election AGAIN to represent California’s 5th Congressional District in the 2026 election so he conducts a hearing to “expose” the deadly consequences of sanctuary policies. Most conservative voters with common sense already know this?
California Globe should have mentioned that Rep. Tom McClintock voted AGAINST the impeachment of Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas who gleefully let in millions of criminal illegal aliens into the country under the Biden regime’s open border policies.
Rep. Tom McClintock joined only two other Republicans—Ken Buck and Mike Gallagher—to oppose the effort to impeach Alejandro Mayorkas during the February 2024 House vote. McClintock lamely claimed that the impeachment failed to meet constitutional standards and that Mayorkas’s open border policies did not constitute “high crimes and misdemeanors.” McClintock then released a 10-page memo criticizing the move to impeach Mayorkas as “bad politics and bad policy” and accused his Republican colleagues of distorting the Constitution.
Good grief, why does California Globe continue to provide cover for a traitorous RINO like Rep. Tom McClintock who is all talk and no action when it comes to conservative principles?
Tom McClintock has given his Democrat cronies passes several times while actively undermining fellow Republicans like President Trump.
In addition to voting against the the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas, Rep. Tom McClintock voted against multiple motions to discipline Democrats in office, such as the first censure of Adam Schiff, the censure of Rashida Tlaib, and the censure of Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Rep. Ilhan Omar was free to bash and attack Charlie Kirk and his supporters calling them pieces of “sh!t,” and other names, but there needed to be consequences for her speech? McClintock knew damn well that Ilhan Omar violated the House Ethics committee Code of Official Conduct that Members of the House shall behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House. On that basis Tom McClintock should have censured and held Rep. Ilhan Omar accountable for her vile and contemptable speech. He lamely criticized her actions but then he laughably justified them by claiming that “the motions were an erosion of the standards to which such motions should be held.” What does that even mean?
Despite making a speech supporting holding Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for the federal prosecution of Donald Trump, McClintock later voted to not hold Garland in contempt.
In 2013, McClintock delivered multiple speeches detailing how Tea Party groups were subjected to excessive scrutiny and harassment by the IRS when applying for tax-exempt status, including demands for donor lists, meeting transcripts, and personal information. McClintock acknowledged that while IRS Commissioner John Koskinen did not order the initial targeting, there was evidence that he had obstructed a congressional investigation and lied to Congress which were actions considered to be impeachable. However when a motion to impeach Koskinen was brought up in the House, McClintock criticized the timing of the motion to impeach Koskinen claiming that it was introduced in the closing hours of the session without time for proper consideration. Procedural deals ultimately averted a floor vote on impeachment. Imagine that?
In 2017, McClintock called for special prosecutor Robert Mueller to investigate President Donald Trump claiming that Trump’s firing of James Comey as FBI Director justified a special prosecutor.
In 2020, Rep. Tom McClintock was the ONLY House Republican to cosponsor the Ending Qualified Immunity Act, which was proposed in response to the murder of George Floyd and resultant widespread protests. The Act would have ended qualified immunity that shields police officers and other government officials from being held personally liable for discretionary actions performed within their official capacity.
McClintock helped put the Biden regime into power by voting to certify the stolen 2020 presidential election and refusing to acknowledge the many blatant instances of voter fraud. McClintock was one of only seven Republicans who did not support their colleagues’ efforts to challenge the results of the election on January 6, 2021 falsely claiming that Congress did not have the authority to influence the election’s outcome. McClintock viciously attacked President Trump at that time falsely claiming that his rhetoric about the stolen election was “utterly irresponsible” and that he had “betrayed” the trust of his supporters. So much for McClintock standing in solidarity with a fellow Republican?
Tom McClintock is a career RINO who has been a burden on taxpayers since 1982 after being elected in California’s 36th State Assembly district, then based in Thousand Oaks. Maybe at the age of 69, it’s time that Tom McClintock voluntarily retired? His net worth is estimated to be near $5 million so he should be able to retire comfortably?
Instead of a voting for traitorous career RINO like Tom McClintock, voters in California’s 5th congressional district should vote for a real conservative who will implement President’s Trump’s MAGA agenda? Dan Stroud and Jason Weland are the Republican candidates running against Tom McClintock.
Oh no, it appears that Dan Stroud is a Democrat and Jason Weland was disqualified from the ballot so he will not appear on the official ballot for the June 2, 2026, primary election. Ugh, it appears that there are NO Republicans challenging Tom McClintock in the election for California’s 5th congressional district!
Sadly, I concur eith TJ’s excellent summation of McClintock’s actions, which are highly principled, but ultimately highly INEFFECTIVE.
He used to be our representative in the 805 and I was a strong supporter, but his recent actions are that of a complete SELLOUT and has earned him the RINO moniker.
I remember when McClintock voted against impeaching Mayorkas. I was thinking, “What the hell is the matter with McClintock? He has a screw loose.”
Friends, Leaders come and go, but for principled leadership, I’d follow Mr. McClintock to the gates of Hell and back. From his days in the State Senate debating Senator Vasconcellos, I’ve admired his policy and high standards, always faithful to the Constitution. Thank you. Joe Thompson
Yea, I echo that on Alejandro MAYORKAS. McClintock voted against impeaching MAYORKAS, even though MAYORKAS actually went down to the Darien Gap IN PANAMA to aid ILLEGAL ALIENS and he flew Illegal Aliens through almost the entire USA. I’d say more like 30 to 35 Million Illegals, mostly Military-Age males came in. illegals were also given Free Phones and given FREE EVERYTHING. And Money and free hotels were given to Illegals, but when it came to the HURRICANE HELENE Victims, hey, there’s NOTHING for YOU. Another thing that bugs me too is, why aren’t these people in PRISON YET? BIDEN who said to SURGE the BORDER upon MY ELECTION, Cackling Kamala Harris the Border Czar And MAYORKAS. Heck, the ILLEGALS were even given coordinates where to go when BARB WIRE was either cut or lifted for them to go through. And NOTHING was done either about all the NGOs by the UN, religions, Catholic Charities etc and SOROS, using OUR TAX DOLLARS to bring in all these ILLEGAL ALIENS. And I wonder why too many REPUBLICANS just sat there on their hands and did absolutely NOTHING ABOUT THIS while it was happening. NOBODY, NOT ONE is behind PRISON BARS yet as far as I know.