January 1, California’s Sanctuary Insanity: Criminal Illegal Freed After Nearly Killing Boy

Wyatt’s Take

• Biden let him in. Newsom let him loose. And a 4-year-old boy nearly died in the street — the consequence of California’s reckless sanctuary state policies.
• This illegal alien drove around stopped cars to hit a child playing outside, then fled the scene. Even after felony charges, local authorities refused to work with ICE and released him back onto the streets.
• Since January alone, California has released over 4,500 criminal illegals despite ICE detainer requests — including suspects accused of homicide, assault, drug crimes, and sexual offenses.

Federal immigration officials are slamming California’s radical sanctuary policies after an illegal immigrant accused of critically injuring a 4-year-old boy in a hit-and-run crash was released from jail. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested the suspect only after local authorities set him free to roam the streets again.

Aman Kumar, an Indian national living in the U.S. illegally, was arrested by ICE on May 13. That came after he’d already been released from local custody despite facing serious criminal charges.

According to the Fresno Sheriff’s Department, Kumar was initially arrested last month after allegedly being involved in a hit-and-run crash. He was charged with felony hit-and-run causing death or injury.

Police said Kumar was driving a vehicle that struck a 4-year-old boy in Fresno, California. The child had been playing on a swing set in a nearby backyard before leaving through a gate and entering the roadway, authorities said.

Investigators said several vehicles stopped after seeing the child in the street. But Kumar allegedly drove around the stopped traffic using the bike lane before hitting the boy.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the child was hospitalized in critical but stable condition and is expected to survive. But the fact that he survived doesn’t excuse the brutal recklessness of the driver or the politicians who allowed him to remain free.

DHS officials didn’t mince words when they criticized California’s sanctuary policies after Kumar was later released from jail.

“This monster who almost killed a 4-year-old boy has been charged with a felony hit-and-run,” DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.

“Sanctuary politicians in California released this criminal illegal alien from jail back onto the streets. Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this criminal illegal alien was arrested outside a criminal court.”

According to DHS, Kumar illegally entered the United States in 2023 and was later released under the Biden administration. So this case represents a perfect storm of open-border failure: the federal government let him in, and California refused to hold him accountable.

The department also pointed to a letter ICE Director Todd Lyons sent in February to California Attorney General Rob Bonta. That letter urged the state to honor ICE detainers involving more than 33,000 undocumented immigrants in custody across California.

“DHS is calling on Governor Gavin Newsom and his fellow California sanctuary politicians to stop putting American lives at risk by releasing criminals into our communities to commit more crimes and hurt more innocent people,” Bis said.

DHS said California’s failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 4,561 undocumented immigrants with criminal charges or convictions since Jan. 20. That’s more than 4,500 criminals — accused or convicted — walking free in California communities because state and local officials refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

The department said those individuals were accused of crimes including homicide, assault, burglary, drug offenses, weapons offenses, and sexual offenses. These aren’t minor infractions or paperwork violations — these are serious, violent criminals who should be behind bars or deported, not roaming free in American neighborhoods.

Wyatt Matters

California politicians talk a big game about protecting vulnerable people, but their sanctuary policies protect criminals instead of children. A 4-year-old boy is lucky to be alive, and the only reason his attacker is in custody now is because ICE agents did the job local officials refused to do. Middle America understands what California’s elites don’t: laws exist to protect innocent people, not shield those who break them. When sanctuary cities release violent criminals back onto the streets, they’re choosing ideology over the safety of our kids.