Three days after David DePape's arrest, someone apparently posing as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent tried to get in to see him in SF County Jail, wielding little more than a bogus business card.
One of the many odd aspects to bizarre hammer attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband is how the alleged attacker David DePape was a Canadian living in the country illegally, having overstayed some 14 years past his “temporary visitor” rights. DePape himself was hospitalized too for injuries he incurred — likely from police — during the October 28 incident, but was released from the hospital and transferred to SF County Jail on Monday, October 31.
And we’re learning that something else very unusual happened on that day when DePape was transferred to county jail. KRON4 reports that someone impersonating an ICE agent tried to get in and visit DePape but was not allowed in.
“The unidentified person tried to get into the San Francisco County Jail on Oct. 31 but was denied,” KRON4 reports. “The person arrived at the jail with a business card but no government credentials.”
So… does one not get in trouble for impersonating a federal agent? It’s unclear whether there were any consequences for the ruse. And it seems this individual may have had some inside information on DePape. After all, it was not until the following day, November 1, that "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged an immigration detainer on Canadian national David DePape with San Francisco County Jail, Nov. 1," according to the Washington Post.
On October 31, the day of the attempted visit, it was not yet common knowledge that DePape was a Canadian national, in the country illegally — however some conservative outlets had leaned heavily into the idea that he was "an illegal" as early as the 28th or 29th, because that fit their narrative better than "right-wing, MAGA-obsessed loon."
It is true that DePape could be deported by ICE, and has an ICE “immigration detainer” on him, which as CNBC explains means the SF Sheriff’s Office would need to notify ICE before letting him out of custody. But DePape being released from custody seems a rather distant possibility, considering he’s facing attempted murder charges, as well as federal kidnapping and assault charges.
Image: ICE.gov
