The Department of Homeland Security is demanding Dane County, Wisconsin keep custody of Julio Cesar Morales-Jarquin after he was arrested in Fitchburg and charged with sexually assaulting an elderly resident at an assisted living facility; Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis publicly called out local “sanctuary” officials and blamed the Biden administration for his presence in the country. DHS says Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer on April 27 and warns that quick releases undermine public safety across Wisconsin. This dispute pits federal enforcement against county officials who have at times given ICE only a short window to act.
Julio Cesar Morales-Jarquin, 31, faces two counts of second-degree sexual assault tied to an assisted living facility in Fitchburg. Local police say the facility reported an employee who may have harmed vulnerable residents, and Morales-Jarquin has been held in local custody since the arrest. The case quickly drew federal attention because of an outstanding ICE detainer request that asked that he remain in custody while immigration authorities respond.
DHS publicly urged Dane County officials not to release Morales-Jarquin, accusing the county of being a sanctuary jurisdiction that routinely refuses to honor detainers. The agency highlighted instances where county jails gave ICE as little as 30 minutes to take custody of detainees, a time frame that federal officials say is insufficient. From a law and order perspective, those short windows are a glaring operational problem when federal removal is required.
“This illegal alien is charged with two counts of sexual assault of an elderly victim at an assisted living facility,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in the DHS statement. “This dirtbag was released into the country by the Biden Administration. DHS is calling on sanctuary politicians in Dane County, Wisconsin to NOT release this criminal from jail back onto the streets to commit more crimes.”
That language is blunt by design and it signals a Republican-aligned tough-on-crime stance that sees sanctuary policies as a direct public safety risk. Local officials who prioritize noncooperation with ICE risk being painted as soft on crime when cases involve elderly or otherwise vulnerable victims. For many voters, the emotional weight of an elderly assault makes policy abstractions suddenly very concrete.
“We need Wisconsin sanctuary politicians to cooperate with us to remove criminals from our country,” she added. Federal officials argue cooperation is straightforward: honor the detainer, hold the individual, allow ICE to assume custody, and proceed with removal or prosecution as warranted. When that sequence is interrupted, the public loses an important layer of protection.
DHS notes Morales-Jarquin entered the United States under a humanitarian parole program for Nicaragua in 2023 and later remained in the country unlawfully after the program ended. That detail undercuts arguments that this was merely a civil immigration technicality and bolsters the federal case for removal. Republicans will point to the parole policy itself as a failure in vetting and enforcement under the Biden years.
ICE issued its detainer on April 27, and the federal agency is now pressing Dane County to hold the suspect until federal custody can be arranged. Local officials have discretion, but federal authorities insist that community safety should outweigh sanctuary policy preferences. The debate is emblematic of a larger fight over who controls public safety: county leaders focused on local priorities or federal agencies enforcing immigration law across jurisdictions.
Beyond the legal back-and-forth, victims and their families are left to wait for answers while officials trade blame. Advocates for stronger enforcement argue that coordination saves lives and spares communities from repeat offenses by those who should be removed. If elected officials want to avoid the political fallout, they will need to choose whether to side with public safety or sanctuary rhetoric when a dangerous suspect is involved.
