California Democrats are poised to approve millions to fight Trump’s expected crackdown on illegal immigrants
The illegal immigrant arrested in Los Angeles after getting caught trying to start fires with a blowtorch has a long rap sheet, including a history of violence. His most recent arrest comes as California Democrats prepare to approve $50 million to fight President-elect Donald Trump’s policies, including his expected crackdown on illegal immigration.
As wildfires scorched through Los Angeles on Thursday, Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, was caught, not by law enforcement, but by a group of Calabasas residents in the San Fernando Valley. They tackled him as he wielded a blowtorch near their houses, viral video a neighbor captured shows. He was arrested for violating probation and has not been charged with arson.
But that’s just Sierra’s most recent arrest. He has a rap sheet that includes several misdemeanors and at least one felony.
“Sierra has multiple encounters with law enforcement from November 2016 to present for a variety of charges and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon Oct. 10, 2023, in Van Nuys, California,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement Tuesday as the agency placed a detainer on the Mexican national. “Sierra was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department Jan. 10 on a felony probation violation.”
In July 2023, Sierra, who goes by several monikers, was arrested in Los Angeles County for assault with a deadly weapon causing “great bodily injury,” police records show. He was convicted that October, but the court ordered his release, citing time served.
Two months later, he was booked again for violating a domestic violence restraining order—only to be released in early January.
His latest arrest, this past October, was for possession of narcotics paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. He was released without bail three days later, with a court date scheduled for November, records show. His booking docket, however, does not show court proceedings for that date.
Days after Sierra’s latest arrest, California Democrats announced that they struck a deal with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) to approve $50 million in taxpayer funding to fight Trump’s forthcoming policies, including his expected crackdown on illegal immigration. Some $25 million is earmarked for nonprofits, including those that help illegal immigrants avoid detention and deportation, the Washington Free Beacon has reported.
Former California state senator Melissa Melendez (R.) criticized the Golden State’s sanctuary law, which limits cooperation between state and local law enforcement with ICE. She said Sierra has been “protected from the law, and from deportation by Gavin Newsom and the democrat party.”
Newsom’s press office responded, saying California’s sanctuary law “allows for coordination with ICE for people convicted of, or who are facing, credible charges around violent or serious felonies, or other crimes that threaten public safety.”
The law “does not impede criminal investigations or sharing information about an individual’s criminal history,” Newsom’s press account said. “Regardless, trying to paint immigrant communities as dangerous is wrong.”
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