We’ve all been wondering when this would happen and why wasn’t this done from the start. But we shouldn’t dwell. Justice is finally being done.

Josiah Barron, the celebrated mayor of Los Angeles County, was led away from his office in handcuffs today by ICE agents and charged with harboring fugitives from the law with his decision to provide undocumented immigrants with refuge under his ‘Sanctuary City’ designation.

The arrest followed Barron’s order to the city’s police to not cooperate with ICE by reporting illegal aliens in their custody. ICE demanded the criminals be handed over but they were denied. This has happened in other Sanctuary cities across the country with no such charges laid, but it would appear that Immigration officials have finally had enough of their federal authority being ignored and have decided to stop playing nice.

Barron seemed to find his predicament to be amusing, as he smiled and shouted, “ATTICA! ATTICA!” while being led to a waiting vehicle. But he won’t be laughing for long. The charges against him carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison should he be convicted and legal experts say that a guilty verdict is quite likely given Barron’s very public statements – confessions, in other words – that let it be known that the city would not communicate with ICE by his own decree.

ICE spokesperson Satya Martin told reporters that this arrest is just the beginning:

“Non-citizens are criminals. Period. We’ve been patient with Sanctuary mayors, hoping they’d see the error of their ways, but no longer. Our job is to make this country safer and no one will stand in the way of that goal.”

This is a plan that is long overdue. Those who protect criminals are criminals themselves. They should be locked up with all the rest.