Judges and juries are treating the attempted murder of immigration officer as permissible.
Prosecutors are bringing charges against rioters and gang members who assault federal immigration officers, but sanctuary city judges and juries are just letting them go.
In California, an Obama judge decided to let off an illegal alien who rammed his car into ICE officers. In Seattle, a jury acquitted an illegal alien convicted drive-by shooter of hitting a Homeland Security Investigations agent with his truck.
Now, a Chicago jury set loose a Latin Kings member who put a bounty on the Border Patrol Chief.
The man accused of leading a murder-for-hire plot against Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino was found not guilty Thursday.
Juan Espinoza Martinez, who faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted, admitted to sending a message to his friend over the social platform Snapchat with a picture of the agent and the words, “2k on info when they catch him. 10-k if you take him down.”
The defendant was arrested and charged for the alleged murder-for-hire plot last year and has been in federal custody since October.
In a post on the social platform X following Espinoza Martinez’s arrest last October, DHS accused the defendant of placing “a bounty” on Bovino and being a member of a street gang.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow barred testimony related to the street gang claim during Espinoza Martinez’s trial, citing a lack of supporting evidence.
The jury deliberated for four hours before delivering a not guilty verdict.
Judge Lefkow is a Clinton appointee. The DHS press release described Martinez as a “Latin Kings’ member. The reference appears to show up in the Snapchat conversation.
HSI Chicago received a screenshot of a Snapchat conversation from a user named “Juan” appearing to place a $2,000 bounty for information “cuando lo agarren,” which translates to “when they catch him,” and a $10,000 reward “if you take him down.” A third response of “LK….on him” indicates the involvement of the Latin Kings.
Martinez’s lawyer went for the ‘resistance’ angle and it seems to have worked.
The panel of regular citizens, led by a teacher who served as the foreperson, answered a call from defense attorney Dena Singer. The lawyer urged them in closing arguments to “stand up to the overreaching government.”
“You have the power here,” she told them. “Your words now matter. You have the power to stop the overreaching government … Don’t let them bully. Use your voice. And while the agents and the government did not want to listen to Juan’s voice, they will listen to yours.”
“Juan’s voice.”
The bottom line here is that people complain that AG Bondi isn’t filing enough charges. I’ve pointed out before that in this atmosphere where not just judicial activism, but jury nullification, in leftist areas has become routine, any charges that are filed have to be absolutely bulletproof and even that guarantees nothing. There was plenty of evidence in these cases. Jurors and judges chose to discount videos and photos. Had Renee Good survived her attempted murder of an ICE officer in Minneapolis, there is zero chance she would have been guilty.
Prosecuting individuals isn’t going to fix systemic radicalism and an insurrection from above. Judges and juries are treating the attempted murder of immigration officer as permissible. This is civil war territory.
