(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

(CNSNews.com) – DHS Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said that when Democrats defend sanctuary cities, their argument is usually that the rate of crime among illegal immigrants is no different than the rest that of U.S. citizens.



That’s not the point, Cuccinelli said. The rate of crime among illegal aliens should be zero, because they shouldn’t be in the United States.









During a discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., on Friday, moderator and Fox News contributor Deneen Borelli asked Rich Valdes, host of the “This is America” podcast, to comment on the case of an illegal alien who was released by NYPD in November 2019 with an active ICE detainer because of New York City’s sanctuary policies and went on to allegedly murder a 92-year-old woman in January 2020.

Valdes he told her he had a personal connection to the victim.



“Reeaz Khan, an unlawfully present Guyanese national was arrested Jan. 10 by the New York police department and charged with murder, sexual abuse, contact by forcible compulsion and sexual abuse against the person incapable of consent. Con was previously released from a local law enforcement in November 2019 with an active detainer due to New York City’s sanctuary policies. The victim is a 92 years old woman. There was an active ICE detainer, which was ignored by local law enforcement,” Borelli said.



“What Deneen was talking about, something hit really close to home. We were talking and I was telling her I got a text from my brother about that story. It was from Fox News, and I told him I’d already seen the story, I read it in the New York Post, and he said you’re missing the point. I said what's the point, and he says that is Darius' grandmother. And I said, oh wow,” Valdes said.



“Darius is his sister-in-law's cousin grandmother, so there’s like two degrees of separation. I said oh my gosh. That's when it became incredibly real that this was not just a sweet and innocent, poor woman that was strangled, raped and murdered in Queens, but it was actually someone that we knew. It really, that pulls the heart strings and it makes you think. It gives you pause and says, who cares about your politics. We have to put America first and the security and safety of our citizens,” Valdes added.



Cuccinelli said it was “one of the more stark and violent tragedies we’ve seen, partly because it’s one of the more helpless victims, but at the same time, we have seen this happen to children from people who we had requested, Department of Homeland Security, ICE had requested from previous arrests that criminals be turned over to us.”





You’ll hear two things frequently - I won't say in defense, because there’s really no defense, but on the other side. One is that well, the rate of crime among illegal aliens is no different than any others. I won't even argue over that, because it doesn’t matter.



The reality is in this woman's case, in the Fuentes case, and many of the children I’m thinking of, and we’re sitting here in PG County. They had MS-13 murder of a 14-year-old girl last summer with their policies right here in this county, and these are crimes that should never happen. It isn’t a question of the rate of crime. The rate should be zero, because the criminals shouldn’t be in this country.



And we have given these communities the way to protect themselves by removing these violent criminals from their communities. So zero, that's argument one. Argument two is that the victims have no voice. They have no voice. So when you are a PG county right here where we sit or New York City, they're literally defending criminals. This is not against President Trump. They're defending criminals at the expense of victims. So who are you for? Well, Mayor Deblasio’s for criminals. Governor Cuomo’s for criminals.



We can go around the country to mayors and governors across the country who are literally picking criminals over crime victims in completely preventable crimes. That’s the worst of all here is how completely avoidable all of this is. These aren’t percentages or odds or maybe it will happen to me.



These are literally crimes that could have been completely prevented, 100% guarantee if they had simply cooperated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement with ICE, with the Department of Homeland Security and with President Trump's effort to keep all of you safe and everyone else in America as well.





When asked why Democrat support sanctuary cities, Valdes said it comes down to money and congressional seats.



“Coming up in politics, somebody taught me a long time ago and they said it’s about the money, and when it’s not about the money, it’s about the money. I think there’s so much truth in that. I think irrespective of how people will vote it’s more about heads and head count and Census and redistricting, congressional redistricting, congressional seats,” he said.



“The more people you have, the more money, the power of the purse. That's what it comes down to, and I think they're putting not only party but politics over patriotism, and that’s sinful,” Valdes added.





