The acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it is time to start charging officials in sanctuary cities with a crime. The director also threatened a massive enforcement action in the sanctuary state of California.

“I think we charge some of these sanctuary cities with violating federal law,” acting ICE Director Tom Homan said during an interview with Fox News Channel’s Neil Cavuto on Tuesday. “This isn’t the America I grew up in. We gotta take these sanctuary cities on, we gotta take them to court and we gotta start charging some of these politicians with crimes.”

Homan’s comment came one day after the State of California officially became a sanctuary state. “California better hold on tight,” Homan stated. “They’re about to see a lot more special agents — a lot more deportation officers.”

“The State of California wants to put politics ahead of public safety,” Homan stated. “What they’ve done is force my officers to arrest dangerous criminals on their turf — in their homes and their place of business — rather than arresting them in the safety and security of a county jail.”

The director said the sanctuary policies of California and other jurisdictions puts officers and the public at risk. “When you release a public safety threat back into the public, it’s just a foolish decision.”

Addressing California Governor Jerry Brown, “If he thinks he’s protecting the immigrant community, he’s doing quite the opposite,” Homan stated. “If he thinks ICE is going away — we’re not.”

“There’s no sanctuary from federal law enforcement,” Director Homan told Cavuto. “I am going to significantly increase our enforcement presence in California. We’re already doing it. We are going to detail additional enforcement assets to California.”

If the politicians in California don’t want to protect their citizens, then ICE will,” he expressed.

“California just bit off a lot more than they can chew,” Homan explained. He said that more illegal aliens and more criminal aliens will be moving to California after the State’s new sanctuary law went into effect on January 1.

Homan said he is also working with the Department of Justice to possibly charge sanctuary officials with a crime for harboring illegal aliens.

“When these sanctuary cities that knowingly shield and harbor an illegal alien in their jail and don’t allow us access — that, in my opinion, is a violation of 8 USC 1324, an alien smuggling statue.” the ICE director explained. “I have asked the Department of Justice to look at this.”

“What do you do if they do just that?” Cavuto asked regarding the sanctuary jails.

“I think we charge some of these sanctuary cities with violating federal law.” Homan responded. He continued, saying the DOJ needs to “hold these politicians personally accountable. More citizens are going to die because of these (sanctuary) policies. These politicians can’t make these decisions and be held unaccountable for people dying.”

Homan said that President Donald Trump shares his views on this matter.