A judge in Arizona dealt a blow to George Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg this week by refusing to extradite a murder suspect to New York City.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell argued against sending murder suspect Raad Almansoori, 26, back to Bragg’s jurisdiction after the suspect was accused of beating a woman to death at a Manhattan hotel. Mitchell pointed out that Bragg does not have a good reputation for treating violent suspects well.
Court Commissioner Barbara Spencer ruled in favor of Mitchell, which dealt a significant setback to Bragg, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
“Nothing can happen on the fugitive case other than there could be what’s called a governor’s directive, which is the document that would hold you instead of the governor’s warrant, or you would choose to sign a waiver,” Spencer told Almansoori in court, KSAZ-TV reported.
Bragg immediately responded, claiming that his priority was the pursuit of justice. “Seeking justice for victims and survivors is our priority at the Manhattan D.A.’s Office,” said a spokesperson for the DA’s office, the New York Post reported.
“We do not stand on ceremony but prioritize the integrity of the process,” they continued. “We are proceeding as we do in every case involving an out-of-state arrest: following the facts and the law to ensure justice is served.”
Prosecutors in Manhattan can still ask Governor Katie Hobbs (D) to overturn the judge’s ruling and agree to extradite Almansoori. Mitchell drew attention when she subtly criticized Bragg for what some saw as his lenient approach to violent criminals.
This criticism influenced her decision not to extradite Almansoori, who allegedly fled to Arizona after the murder of Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, 38.
“Having observed the treatment of violent criminals in the New York area by the Manhattan D.A. there, Alvin Bragg,” Mitchell told reporters last month. “I think it’s safer to keep him here and keep him in custody so that he cannot be out doing this to individuals either in our state, county or anywhere in the United States.”
Police have reported that the suspect confessed to stabbing one woman and sexually assaulting another in Arizona, according to the Examiner.
Additionally, a new survey indicates that immigration has become the top issue for a growing majority of Americans in this election cycle.
“Significantly more Americans name immigration as the most important problem facing the U.S. (28%) than did a month ago (20%). Immigration has now passed the government as the most often cited problem, after the two issues tied for the top position the past two months. The government ranked first each month from January through November 2023,” the Gallup polling firm noted in a report published this week.
According to the most recent poll, 20% of Americans cite the government as their biggest issue, with the economy (12%) and inflation (11%) following closely behind. Immigration is the only issue that has shown meaningful change in the past month,” Gallup noted further.
The matter was of utmost concern for Americans during Trump’s administration, particularly after he had to contend with a surge of illegal crossings in 2018 while trying to secure funding for his promised border wall from a GOP-led Congress.
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