# ICE Asks Seattle to Hold a Convicted Venezuelan Child Molester Near the End of a 15-Month Sentence, and an Analyst Predicts Sanctuary Cities Will Feel 'Emboldened' by the Democratic Wins, Fox News Reports

Fox News says DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin accuses Seattle of refusing an ICE detainer for Leomar Alexander Lopez Zambrano. An Advancing American Freedom analyst predicts more defiance from sanctuary cities now that Democrats are retaking Congress. Seattle did not comment.

- Section: [Border & Security](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/border-security/)
- Published: 2026-11-05
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/ice-detainer-seattle-leomar-lopez-zambrano-venezuelan-child-molester-release-sanctuary-mullin-von-spakovsky-fox-news/

Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants Seattle to hand over a convicted child molester when his prison term ends, and the Department of Homeland Security says the city is refusing, Fox News reports.

The case. Fox says ICE sent a detainer request to Seattle for Leomar Alexander Lopez Zambrano, a Venezuelan national in the country illegally. Fox reports he was convicted on two counts of child molestation and is nearing the end of a 15-month sentence, the point at which he would normally face deportation. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said, "Sanctuary politicians in Washington are refusing to honor the ICE detainer and hand this disgusting criminal over to us after he finishes his prison sentence."

The risk DHS describes. Mullin said DHS would have no way of knowing when Zambrano is released without Seattle's cooperation. The agency said in a statement that detainers are the safest way to arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens, and that "seven of the top 10 safest cities in the United States cooperate with ICE." We did not check that claim.

The election angle. Hans von Spakovsky of Advancing American Freedom told Fox News Digital, "I have no doubt that sanctuary jurisdictions will feel emboldened." He predicted Democrats would try to starve immigration enforcement through appropriations and might try to impeach border czar Tom Homan, though he doubts they would succeed, especially if funding limits are tied to must-pass bills the president signs. Mullin's answer was short: "Deportations will continue."

Texas. Fox quotes Dan Bongino, who noted that Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa voted against sanctuary city restrictions as a state legislator in 2017. Bongino argued that voters were sending a message that they want their state to become a sanctuary.

Why it matters here. We have covered earlier disputes over ICE detainers, including the Baltimore stabbing case tied to a New York detainer. This one lands as Democrats prepare to take over Congress, which is why DHS and its allies are framing it as a preview.

What we could not check. Seattle officials did not respond to Fox's request for comment, so the city's side is not in the report. We did not see the detainer, court records or the conviction. The predictions about what sanctuary cities and Democrats will do are opinion from von Spakovsky and Bongino, not events.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/child-molester-looming-prison-release-reignites-sanctuary-showdown-wake-dem-election-sweep)