An illegal immigrant shot and killed Newman Police Department Cpl. Ronil “Ron” Singh, 33, this past Wednesday during a traffic stop in California.

Singh was born in Fiji and immigrated to this country legally.

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It was his dream to serve his Newman community in Stanislaus County as one who upholds the law.

English was not his first language — and he worked hard to learn it so that he could be as effective as possible on the job.

Many are rightly outraged at this murder by someone who was in our country unlawfully. And the Fiji-born police officer is “the absolute poster child for why immigration works if done legally,” Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson emphasized Thursday night during an exclusive interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”

Singh “knew that he was difficult to understand because of his accent,” Christianson said, adding that “he threw everything into language classes” so that he would improve his English skills.

But now he is dead. Christianson said the suspect in the murder has been identified but will not be named at this time because of the investigators’ “very specific protocol that we use to make positive identifications.”

The suspect is armed and dangerous, but Christianson believes the man is “on the run.” It is unknown whether the illegal alien had a criminal background.

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Singh leaves behind his wife and their five-month-old son.

“Officer Singh is the shining example of what immigration in America should be,” Christianson said. “This is a young man who immigrated here legally. It was his dream to come to America. It was his dream to be a police officer, and he worked hard to achieve that goal. And unfortunately he sacrificed his life trying to defend and protect his community.”

Christianson told Fox News’ Lisa Boothe, who was guest hosting for Laura Ingraham on Thursday night, that he wanted the nation to know “that immigration is good for America if done legally.”

“Illegal immigration doesn’t serve our communities — especially criminals who victimize and exploit our communities,” Christianson said. “Whether you hate the president or love the president, border security goes hand in hand with national security, the safety of our communities and public safety. We need to know who’s in our communities that shouldn’t be.”

President Donald Trump is wrangling with Democratic lawmakers to secure $5 billion to fund the southern border wall. But the government shut down partially over the weekend because Democrats refused to give Trump the border wall funding he has requested. The partial shutdown is expected to continue into the new year.

“Congress is the only entity that can fix this problem. And until they decide to depolarize themselves and focus on what’s in the best interest of the people, you can’t establish a system of immigration that lacks bureaucracy … and allows people a path to become good citizens and contribute to what makes America great,” Christianson said.

Trump commented on Singh’s death on Twitter on Thursday, writing, “There is right now a full-scale manhunt going on in California for an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing a police officer during a traffic stop. Time to get tough on border security. Build the Wall!”

Christianson on Thursday night urged politicians to “stop demonizing and villainizing the men and women who are there trying to protect our communities” and enforce immigration laws, adding, “It’s time to come together and fix the problem.”

“And yes — border security needs to be a priority,” Christianson also said.

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Andrew “Art” Arthur, a resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), said on the program that he “absolutely” agreed with Trump’s tweet calling for the border wall to be built in response to Singh’s death.

“Quite frankly, this is a senseless death that would have been prevented had we had good border security,” Arthur said. “Had we prevented this individual from entering the United States, he never would have been there to have killed Corporal Singh. And it’s absolutely inexcusable that we’re not doing it. It’s on the books, and it should be enforced.”

“The sanctuary policies are keeping the criminals on the streets,” Arthur added, noting that California is a sanctuary state that shields illegal immigrants from immigration enforcement.

“Law enforcement is here to protect people. But you can’t provide sanctuary for criminals,” Christianson warned. “All that does is silence the voices of our victims, and I certainly didn’t sign up to do that.”

Christianson said California’s sanctuary policies “certainly” hamper his ability to do his job.

“Law enforcement is here to protect people. But you can’t provide sanctuary for criminals,” Christianson warned. “All that does is silence the voices of our victims, and I certainly didn’t sign up to do that.”

“Why are we providing sanctuary for people who victimize and exploit the weak and the defenseless? We should not be doing that,” Christianson added.

Check out the interview in the video below: