ICE blames CA's sanctuary city policies in Napa Co. DUI crash that killed 6 farmworkers

NAPA, Calif. (KGO) -- Loreto Ricardo Hernandez is one of six farmworkers who was killed in the DUI crash on Pope Valley Road in Napa County earlier this month, as the group he was with traveled from Stockton. ABC7 News previously spoke with his family, who is still waiting for the first step towards justice.

The driver of the crash survived, and at last check was still in the hospital. ABC7 News is not naming the driver as he has not yet appeared in court.

Now, an ICE spokesperson has issued a statement referring to the driver suspected of DUI and, in turn, facing six murder charges:

"(He) is a criminal alien from Mexico who first entered the United States in 1995. Since his first illegal entry, he has been arrested several times for possession of cocaine, multiple DUIs, and removed multiple times from the United States.

(He) repeatedly entered our country unlawfully after being removed, in violation of our laws. Unfortunately, due to (his) continued disregard for the laws within the United States and California's sanctuary laws has led to this tragic incident. Sanctuary laws continue to place the American public in danger and only protect the criminal aliens."

RELATED: Driver in Napa County crash that killed 6 people charged with 3 prior DUIs, records show

However, multiple professors who specialize in immigration disagree with that statement.

"It's a tragic situation, but to blame it on sanctuary policies is misguided," said Bill Hing, founding Director of the Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic at the University of San Francisco. "Let's assume that he had been removed many times before. When somebody comes back to the United States, it's the responsibility of the federal government to figure that out," said Hing.

Sanctuary laws are designed to limit law enforcement's cooperation with ICE.

RELATED: SF Mayor Lurie stands by city's sanctuary policy | Here's what it means amid ICE detainments

Associate Professor Loren Collingwood at the University of New Mexico quoted his 2019 studies, saying, "research more often than not shows sanctuary policies produce either no change or a decrease in crime- specifically because foreign-born people are more likely to report crimes against them if they are not concerned with getting deported."

Hing says it's wrong to blame what happened here on the driver being undocumented.

"Being undocumented is not what led to the incident," he said. "What led to the incident is whatever social and economic factors might have been relevant in the situation."

ICE is standing behind their statement and saying that the driver used aliases with different ages to stay clear of authorities.