RUSK COUNTY — Rusk County District Attorney John A. Cabranes is refuting claims that his office supports sanctuary policies and says his comments about ICE were misrepresented, according to a press release from the Rusk County District Attorney.
PRESS RELEASE
On Friday June 6, 2024, in an email that District Attorney’s use to run cases and ideas across each other, the Polk County District Attorney posted the following:
“So I have a question to all of you, considering the way these things have been going nationally, in what looks like a violation of due process. I will confess, I am not the smartest person in the room, but the way ICE is doing this, masked, no hearings, no warrants ( I’m assuming, I could be wrong, I’ve not had this in my county yet), are we obligated to assist in this?”
This was followed by another email from the Polk County District Attorney stating:
“Because, frankly, my gut tells me this is wrong.”
This concern and doubt resonated with me because I have been thinking along those same lines for several weeks and I responded as follows:
“You are not alone. The way this is going down is wrong and will eventually lead to violence. ICE will get no cooperation from my office so long as they continue these abusive tactics.”
That was the full exchange between myself and the Polk County District Attorney.
Related: Polk County DA Responds To Social Media Criticism Over ICE Email
One of our colleagues, with an axe to grind, sent these to a Milwaukee Radio Show Host who decided to deliberately misinterpret this exchange and accused the Polk County District Attorney and myself of attempting to set up sanctuary counties in our respective counties.
STATEMENT
I have been proudly serving the people of Rusk County since May of 2024 in the capacity of Assistant District Attorney and as the District Attorney since my appointment last September and confirmed by the election in November. Before joining the Rusk County District Attorney it was my honor to defend individuals in criminal proceedings for 28 years and later, after 2011, assist people in legalizing their status in this country. I make no apologies for that since none are warranted.
Over my years as a practicing attorney, I acquired a deep respect for the rule of law and the constitutional rights of my clients. Due process, which everyone in this country is entitled to, and the Constitutional protections against illegal searches and seizures are at the very core of our legal system. When I saw the Polk County District Attorney express his concerns about the way ICE was handling the seizures and detentions of undocumented people, it mirrored my own concerns and I reached out to him to let him know that I understood his concerns and that I shared them.
As a matter of conscience, I cannot support the trampling of anyone’s constitutional rights and I have made the decision that this office will not cooperate with ICE (as my response indicated) “so long as they continue to use these abusive tactics”. Those tactics have included rounding up United States citizens and detaining them until they provide proof that they are in fact, a United States Citizen. That’s not the way we do things in this country or in Rusk County. Because of that, I cannot assist any ICE operations in this County.
Being committed to due process and safeguarding constitutional rights is not incompatible with holding people accountable for committing crimes in this jurisdiction. So long as I am the District Attorney, if a crime committed in Rusk County the criminal will be arrested, prosecuted and dealt with according to law. That’s true whether you are brown, black or white, whether your name is Smith or Garcia. Rusk County is not, and will not be, a Sanctuary County. Anyone who says differently is not telling the truth.
-- Per John A. Cabranes, Rusk County District Attorney
Last Update: Jun 11, 2025 2:43 pm CDT
