George Gascón orders prosecutors not to charge immigrants because they might be deported

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has ordered his prosecutors to avoid filing criminal charges against illegal immigrants – so that they don’t get deported. 

Woke Gascón’s new directive issued this week means prosecutors will have to weigh the effects of their charging decisions on the immigration status of the suspects.

Instead, they will be encouraged to seek diversion programs to help avoid offenders, living in LA illegally, from being deported. 

Immigrants are a central part of the Los Angeles community making up 35 percent of the county’s total population of over 10 million individuals, according to USCDornsife.

Gascón, a former San Francisco police chief, won office in Dem-led Los Angeles in November 2020 as part of a wave of progressive prosecutors elected nationwide.

He ran on a criminal justice reform platform after a summer of unrest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has ordered his prosecutors to avoid filing criminal charges that could lead to deportation for illegal immigrants

Woke Gascón’s new directive issued this week means prosecutors will have to weigh the effects of their charging decisions on the immigration status of the suspects

Los Angeles is a heavily Democratic city known for its progressive politics, but Gascón has faced criticism from business leaders and prosecutors in his own office for policies that they saw as ineffective to stem rising crime. 

The policy states that alternatives to criminal convictions should be considered, such as avoiding charging for criminal enhancements, which can significantly increase one’s prison sentence, ‘that would turn an otherwise immigration neutral offense into an immigration damaging one.’

‘That’s basically saying, “We’re going to give you a pass because you used a gun,”‘ Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association for Deputy District Attorneys of Los Angeles County, told Fox News Digital.

Siddall explained that anyone under criminal investigation can contact the DA’s office to ‘present information concerning adverse immigration consequences’ before a case is filed.

He has frequently criticized Gascon’s directives – and said the new policy potentially discriminates against native-born suspects because they aren’t at risk of deportation and won’t be given the same consideration when charging decisions are made.

‘That’s saying we’re going to give better deals to someone because of their immigration status,’ he said.

The police states that: ‘All charging determinations shall be undertaken with the goal of avoiding or mitigating the adverse immigration consequences of a decision when known, possible permitting.

Shawn Laval Smith, 31, stabbed her 11 times in the chest, five in her left arm, three in her left leg, and one in her pelvis. She was also stabbed in her abdomen, right arm and right leg, according to the report which was obtained by the New York Post

‘Under these circumstances and when, consistent with public safety alternatives to filing charges exist, those alternatives shall be pursued.’

The police, which prioritizes public safety and protects immigrants according to the DA’s office, also state that pre-trial diversion programs can help deter deportation and other impacts on the immigration status of suspects. 

It added that prosecutors are still barred from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

‘The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office consulted with our staff, community stakeholders and immigration experts to craft a comprehensive Immigration policy that protects vulnerable victims and prioritizes safety while attempting to avoid overly punitive consequences for the accused,’ Tiffany Blackwell, communications director for the DA’s office said.

 ‘We believe that we have achieved that result. We will continue to rely upon our staff to provide us with relevant information that will assist in making the determination if alternative sentencing is warranted.’

Gascón came to office with promises of sweeping criminal justice reforms that critics say put the interests of criminals before the safety of the community. 

Jennifer Bledsoe Bean , 21, was leaving a bonfire on June 12 in Playa Del Ray when Neal Cooper, 27, plowed into her car at 100mph. She was killed on impact, but Cooper was allowed to walk free after posting a reduced bail

There have been numerous instances where his ‘soft-on-crime’ approach has led to terrible consequences for victims.   

Brianna Kupfer, 24, was murdered at a Los Angeles furniture store where she was working. Her alleged killer, Shawn Laval Smith, 31, who has a rap sheet spanning two coasts, was out on bail when the attack occurred. 

One week before the killing, Smith was arrested and charged with violent crimes in at least three states.  

This summer, California woman Marissa Young was left unrecognizable after she was horrifically attacked and raped by a homeless man Darrel Waters while walking her dogs on July 31. He was charged with rape, oral copulation, and sexual penetration with force. 

Just days earlier, he had been arrested for illegally having a dagger, but was released. Torrance City Attorney’s Office – which falls under the LA County District Attorney’s Office – said Waters release was ‘in accordance with the penal code.’

And devastated family called for change after Jennifer Bledsoe Bean, 21, was leaving a bonfire on June 12 in Playa Del Ray when Neal Cooper, 27, plowed into her car at 100mph. She was killed on impact, but Cooper was allowed to walk free after posting a reduced bail. 

He had previously been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in another crash back in February in Manhattan Beach but was released on his own recognizance under Gascon’s lax sentencing laws.

During the summer rallies were held as anti-Gascón activists tried to get him recalled

The unrest and unpopularity finally boiled over into a recall attempt in August this year. But the vote failed after the LA Registrar-Recorder threw out more than 195,000 of the votes as invalid

The unrest and unpopularity finally boiled over into a recall attempt in August this year. But the vote failed after the LA Registrar-Recorder threw out more than 195,000 of the votes as invalid.

The recall organizers sued after they investigated a two percent sample of the 195758 invalidated votes and discovered 1,560 valid voter signatures were tossed, an alleged 39 percent error rate.

Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan says that of the 195,000 votes some 90,000 were not registered voters and roughly 45,000 were duplicates.

The attempted recall follows the ousting in June of San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin, a friend and ideological ally of Gascon.

Meanwhile, a DailyMail.com investigation last month showed that pedophiles in California are getting less than a year prison time after a range of horrific acts, including raping kids under 14. 

Analysis of a California database of sex offenders shows thousands of child molesters are being let out after just a few months, despite sentencing guidelines.

Current and former sex crime prosecutors said the figures are ‘terrifying’ and ‘shameful’.

More than 7,000 sex offenders were convicted of ‘lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age’ but were let out of prison the same year they were incarcerated, data from the California Megan’s Law database says. 

‘SOFT-ON-CRIME’ Los Angeles DA: George Gascón has been slammed for spike in crime thanks to his progressive policies

December 2021

– Gascón tried to have the two previous ‘strikes’ in the case of a mother accused of murdering her daughter removed. Akira Keyshell Smith, 36, is facing charges for murder, assault on a child, and torture in the death of Eternity Smith, four, who died in August 2020.

January 2022 

Hannah Tubbs is pictured in their November 2021 booking photo

– Hannah Tubbs, 26, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl in the bathroom of a Palmdale, California, branch of Denny’s in 2014 when she was 17. 

Gascón said she should be tried as a juvenile – and Tubbs was caught on a recorded line in prison bragging about Gascon’s lenient sentence. In February, he admitted it was too soft.

– Brianna Kupfer, 24, was murdered at a Los Angeles furniture store where she was working. Her alleged killer, Shawn Laval Smith, 31, who has a rap sheet spanning two coasts, was out on bail when the attack occurred. 

One week before the killing, Smith was arrested and charged with violent crimes in at least three states.  

February 

– Gascón admits that a policy he was elected on – a ban on life sentences in murder cases – was not always correct.

– Former Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has rescinded his support of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, joining a chorus of law enforcement officials and victims’ advocates who have expressed concern over what they deem Gascón’s soft-on-crime policies.

May 

– Dave Chappelle is attacked on stage by Isaiah Lee, 23, on May 3. Lee was booked for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, and Gascón decided not to prosecute Lee for a felony. They said that, while criminal conduct occurred, they believe it ‘did not constitute felony conduct’ and was only a misdemeanor. Chappelle’s attorney said he was ‘upset’ at Gascón’s decision.

– A California parole panel recommended the release of Charles Manson’s follower Patricia Krenwinkel for the first time. Krenwinkel, 74, was previously denied parole 14 times for the slayings of pregnant actor Sharon Tate and four other people in 1969. Yet, for the first time, LA County prosecutors weren’t at the parole hearing to object, under Gascón’s policy that prosecutors should not be involved in deciding whether prisoners are ready for release.

June 

Jennifer Bledsoe Bean, 21, was leaving a bonfire on June 12 in Playa Del Ray when Neal Cooper, 27, plowed into her car

– California Appeals Court rules that Gascón cannot order prosecutors to ignore the state’s three-strikes law, that may increase prison terms when filing criminal charges.

– Gascón’s office asks for a mere seven-months at a  ‘juvenile probation camp,’ rather than in juvenile detention for a 16-year-old who nearly ran down a mother and her infant while driving a stolen car under the influence of drugs.

– Jennifer Bledsoe Bean, 21, was leaving a bonfire on June 12 in Playa Del Ray when Neal Cooper, 27, plowed into her car at 100mph. 

She was killed on impact, but Cooper was allowed to walk free after posting a reduced bail. He had previously been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in another crash back in February in Manhattan Beach but was released on his own recognizance under Gascon’s lax sentencing laws.

July 

Waters (pictured) had been released from jail a few days prior for knife charges 

– California woman Marissa Young was left unrecognizable after she was horrifically attacked and raped by a homeless man Darrel Waters while walking her dogs on July 31. He was charged with rape, oral copulation, and sexual penetration with force. 

Just days earlier, he had been arrested for illegally having a dagger, but was released. Torrance City Attorney’s Office – which falls under the LA County District Attorney’s Office – said Waters release was ‘in accordance with the penal code.’

Marissa Young, 44, of Torrance, (pictured before and after) was brutally attacked and raped on July 31 by a homeless man cops say is Darrel Waters, 46

September 

– The 16-year-old who ran down a mother and her infant is granted a hearing for a request to be released from juvenile probation camp early

November

– John Lewin, who prosecuted the infamous murderer Robert Durst, accused Gascón of ‘illegal and unethical conduct’ in a searing public letter. Lewin said he and his colleague John McKinney, who won a conviction against Nipsey Hussle’s murderer this summer, were demoted after blowing the whistle on Gascón for implementing ‘illegal’ policies.

December 

– Gascón was slammed for his office taking ‘blatant special interest’ in a case in which singer John Legend, who is a known supporter of the DA, almost had his luxury Porsche stolen while visiting a recording studio. 

Legend is on record as a strong supporter of Gascón and some prosecutors have objected to his case receiving special treatment.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon’s office has been slammed for taking a ‘blatant special interest’ in a case in which singer John Legend almost had his luxury Porsche (pictured behind Legend in West Hollywood) stolen earlier this month

Legend is on record as a strong supporter of Gascón and some prosecutors have objected to his case receiving special treatment