← The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Fairfax Liberal DA Accused of Going Soft on Illegal Immigrant Offenders
00:14:39
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This is an iheart podcast. Guaranteed human.
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Now we're doing well. Now we have to get what we have to get. If we don't do that, we'll have to go a big step further. But with that being said, they want to make a deal. We've had very good talks over the last 24 hours and it's very possible that we'll make a deal.
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You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
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Good Friday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And we've got a major story for you. This is the department of justice has launched a federal probe into America's worst soros da over what is now being described as deliberate preferential treatment to protect illegal immigrants that have committed crimes giving them better deals than American citizens. So is there going to be accountability? We'll explain it all to you, but first I want to tell you about my friends at patriot mobile. This year marks a critical moment for our country. As the opposition grows more aggressive and unapologetic, the fight now reaches into the everyday decisions that we make now. Patriot mobile has been standing on the front lines fighting for freedom now for more than 12 years. They don't just deliver top tier wireless service. They're activists like me who truly care and want to protect our country. Patriot mobile offers prioritized premium access on all three major U. 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Story number one, the Department of justice has now launched a federal civil rights investigation to Fairfax county commonwealth's attorney Steve descano. Now you need to remember that name. This is one of the prized soros das. And now what we're learning is a Fairfax County DA did everything they could do to protect illegal immigrants. The allegations are truly explosive. Federal investigators now say they're examining whether one of the most powerful progressive prosecutors in Virginia was deliberately giving preferential treatment to illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes against American citizens. And the victims, well, you guessed it, they were left behind. Now, this is the DOJ's Civil Right Division that's stepping in and saying they want to determine whether the man's office violated federal law by allegedly offering preferential treatment only to illegal alien criminal defendants. I'm gonna say that again. An activist DA and the Civil Rights division is now looking into Scano's office, saying it looks like you were only offering preferential treatment to illegal immigrants, non American citizens. If you are a criminal defendant, this is what happens when you allow activist DAs to take over. And this is exactly what the Democrats and George Soros wanted and what they paid for. Now, let me go into exactly what's being alleged here. The Justice Department is saying that in Fairfax county, it was pretty clear that those that had illegal immigrant status who committed crimes and they were defendants, were given preferential treatment. The DOJ goes on to say it is specifically investigating plea bargains. That's how they were hooking up the illegal immigrants. Charging decisions as well, and sentencing recommendations coming out of Descano's office. At the center of the controversy is a policy reportedly adopted in 2020, directing prosecutors to consider the, quote, immigration consequences that defendants could face, including deportation, when deciding how aggressively to prosecute cases. So to be clear, in translation, you had an office that said, hey, if you're an illegal immigrant, we're going to go easier on you than an American citizen, because we don't want you to be deported. We want to make sure that we can go easier on you so that it's, well, easier for you to stay in the United States of America. Yes, this is absolutely insane, but this is exactly what you should expect from activist DA's. Now, the DOJ also is specifically investigating the plea bargains that were given as well, saying that they were clearly given outside the guidelines that other American citizens were having to play by. So imagine you commit a crime. Imagine you're an American citizen. Imagine you get years in jail, and then you find out someone else does the same exact crime. But they're different because they broke into the United States of America. And when they broke in, well, we didn't want to get them out of this country. We didn't want to deport them. So instead, we gave them A deal that offered them maybe even no jail time at all, or a plea bargain that allowed them to walk free that day while you're in jail. That is exactly what the Department of Justice is now saying. Now let me also be very clear about this as well. Every defendant deserves constitutional protections. Every person deserves due process. That's what the DOJ said. But the question now being raised by the Department of Justice whether Fairfax county crossed a massive line from equal justice under the law into a two tiered justice system that held Americans accountable while allowing illegal immigrants to walk free. And that is where Americans should become furious, especially at George Soros and the Democratic Party, if two people commit the same violent crime, the DOJ says, but prosecutors intentionally go easier on one defendant because they they're in the country illegally and might face deportation. Many Americans hear this and say, wait a second, how is that fair to a citizen? How is that also fair to the victims? The Assistant Attorney General made the administration's position crystal clear when she said, quote, under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow local prosecutors to pick and choose winners based on their immigration status. Now this is a remarkable statement, by the way, coming from the federal government. And that's what's making this story even more politically explosive are the violent crimes that are now being connected to the policies of this activist DA Let me give you an example. One case that you need to know about is the murder of Stephanie Minter, a Virginia woman. She was stabbed to death at a Fairfax county bus stop earlier this year. The suspect was reportedly in the country illegally. Also had a lengthy criminal history, including more than 30 arrests. This, according to the Department of Homeland Security information that's been cited in the reports. Now they argue that progressive prosecutors and sanctuary style policies repeatedly allowed this dangerous individual to be arrested more than 30 times and cycle through the system without meaningful consequences until the American paid the ultimate price being murdered. Another case, by the way, that the DOJ is pointing to as well that has sparked outrage involved two undocumented migrants that were convicted in the mob killing of Hernandez Gonzalez. They ultimately received plea agreements that resulted in just five years behind bars after much of their sentences were suspended. Descano's office defended the deal by citing evidentiary challenges and witness cooperation issues. But critics blasted the punishment as absurd and lenient for such a horrific crime of a mob killing. And those aren T isolated examples either. The DOJ is reportedly examining whether it is a broader pattern or even a practice of discriminatory prosecutor conduct where illegal immigrants always were getting the deal. Now it's important language legally because it suggests that federal officials may be looking beyond one or two controversial plea deals and asking whether this was an institutional policy altogether. Now, politically, the story hits directly at one of the biggest national debates in this country. And that is exactly why Donald Trump was elected. The president made it clear he was gonna go after the illegal immigrants. Democrats have made it clear they will protect them at all costs. And over the last decade, we've seen a wave of left wing prosecutors that have been backed by activist money that has transformed criminal justice policy in major jurisdictions across the U.S. this guy, Steve Descanano, became one of the most recognizable figures in that movement after winning office in 2019. He had substantial support from groups tied to the billionaire donor George Soros. Now, the philosophy behind many of these prosecutors focus on reducing incarceration, eliminating cash bail, lowering penalties for certain crimes, and emphasizing, quote, alternatives to prosecution. Supporters, they called it reform. Critics, they called it anarchy. And it was surrendering and bowing down to the criminals. Well, now the federal government is effectively saying that some of these reforms go so far that prosecutors deliberately were discriminating against American citizens. That is the heart of the question of this entire investigation. Now, there's also another major political wrinkle here, and it comes as Fairfax county officials are preparing to testify before Congress at a hearing that is now titled Fairfax County, Virginia, the Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies. That means that this story is no longer just local Virginia politics. This is now a national immigration and public safety fight. Republicans are already framing Fairfax county as a symbol of what happens when ideology overrides law enforcement. They argue that local leaders became so obsessed with shielding illegal immigrants from deportation that they compromised public safety in the process countless times. And Democrats, well, they're firing back, of course, accusing the Trump DOJ of weaponizing federal power, they say, against progressive prosecutors for political purpose. Now, that's going to become a major national argument moving forward, and this will be a national story. But politically, the optics here are devastating for the Democrats because the DOJ didn't open this investigation over parking tickets or minor prosecutor disagreements. They opened it over allegations involving violent criminals, homicide cases, assault allegations, and questions about whether prosecutors intentionally, deliberately reduced immigration consequences for illegal immigrants accused of major and serious crimes, including murder. Now, for millions of Americans listening to this, right now, it's a simple story. Why honor? Should immigrants and immigration status ever result in lighter treatment for violent offenders just because you're here illegally? Why should American citizens believe the justice system treats them equally if prosecutors deliberately are instructed to weigh deportation concerns before seeking punishment for crimes have been committed? And perhaps more importantly than that, how many tragedies could have been prevented if dangerous repeat offenders had been prosecuted the way the law said they should have been prosecuted from the very start? Or in other words, the way that American citizens would have been prosecuted from the very beginning? Now, Democrats are gonna fight back. They're going to say that these policies were fair and legal and reflect the values of their community. It doesn't mean that you get to give preferential treatment to illegal immigrants. Which brings us back to this. The DOJ ultimately concluded that immigration status was used to systematically alter prosecutor decisions in a discriminatory way against every American citizen. Now, this case could easily become one of the most consequential legal and political fights over immigration and criminal justice in decades. And really, this is why Americans need to pay attention. Because what the Trump administration is doing now is saying that Americans shouldn't be put behind illegal immigrants ever. And certainly illegal immigrants shouldn't be able to get away from justice because some woke activist Democrat says we don't want them to be deported.
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Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.