Sanctuary Cities Ignore Presidential Threat

            “I don’t want to de-fund (a) state or city. But if they’re going to have sanctuary cities we may have to do that – certainly that would be a weapon.  ~President Donald Trump

 It has been said we are a nation of laws and laws must be followed to insure an orderly society. That’s the ideal upon which America was established. But today laws of the land are frequently ignored. 

Example:  despite a federal law against possession of marijuana nearly 30 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some form. The feds appear to have given up trying to enforce the federal law except in cases where massive amounts of weed are involved.

More Than 200 Jurisdictions in 32 States are Sanctuary Cities Now

Example: dozens of locations across the country have refused to help enforce the federal law to deport illegal immigrants who have been either convicted or charged with crimes. The Department of Homeland Security has made the law clear: every jurisdiction should alert the closest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents when an undocumented alien is being held or is about to be released from custody. Deportation is the next step.

This was the stated procedure under the Obama administration — which ignored so-called Sanctuary Cities’ non-compliance — and continues under President Trump’s watch. The difference being, Mr. Trump is in no mood to ignore anything.

It is difficult to decipher exactly how many jurisdictions have said no to the feds on this. Some places waffle on their policy and some deliberately keep their non-cooperative intentions quiet. But at last count more than 200 cities and counties in 32 states have declared they are a sanctuary city and will not cooperate with ICE.

Sanctuary Cities Ignoring the Trump Threat to Cut Federal Funds

Many sanctuary city citizens fervently believe humanitarian motives should replace suspicion of immigrants, that foreigners are essential to our melting pot economy. And local law enforcement officials insist they a.) Don’t have the money or manpower to help ICE do its job and b.) They fear a backlash when trying to solve crimes in their minority communities where eyewitnesses or informants will shut down if local law enforcement is seen as working with ICE.

But one cannot help but be shocked after reading the new weekly list President Trump ordered outlining crimes committed by illegal immigrants and those jurisdiction that failed to honor an ICE detention requests.

No perpetrator names are mentioned but many of the listed crimes are serious: homicide, rape, domestic violence, arson, aggravated assault, burglary, gun and dangerous drug possession, identity theft/forgery and many DUI convictions.  Most of those arrested came from Mexico and other Central American countries.  Others here in the U.S. illegally came from as far away as Brazil, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Venezuela and Tonga.

Without local cooperation with the feds convicted criminals, in this country illegally, will simply be allowed to leave lockup after they’ve served their time. They weren’t legal when they were arrested and they aren’t legal now.  Is this okay with you?

Realize that in 2015, for example, 19,723 foreign born convicts were allowed to remain here, many not accepted back by the country of their birth, so they simply stayed in the U.S.. That group then accounted for more than 64,000 additional crimes – including 800 robberies, 614 sex offenses, 216 kidnappings and 196 murders. There is something wrong with this picture.

A showdown with Washington nears. “No more funding. We will end the sanctuary cities that have resulted in so many needless deaths,” President Trump has vowed. “Cities that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars.”

Last month Trump signed an executive order declaring sanctuary jurisdictions are no longer “eligible to receive federal grants, except … for law enforcement purposes.”  That could mean a loss of billions of dollars to those locations but so far almost none are budging from their sanctuary stance.

Can a president legally withhold funds? Court challenges have already been filed and there will surely be howls of protest from Congress about being left out of the process. Some insist the president’s idea is unconstitutional. Indeed, in 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the feds cannot command a state to “administer or enforce federal … laws and regulations.”

This situation is so reminiscent of the marijuana debate. The federal government sticking to its old ways, unable to come up with a creative or diplomatic solution to a modern day circumstance. An authority can easily stare down two or three adversaries but more than 200 jurisdictions in 32 states determined to buck Washington? Given all that opposition and the shaky legal standing all I can say is, good luck with following through on that threat, Mr. President.

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9 Comments

  1. Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 11:37 am

    Creators Syndicate Reader Donald Salmi writes;

    It’s amazing how we have gotten this Constitution thing all turned around and how both Federal and local politicians forget that their first duty is to the constitution and the American citizens who elected them. The number one job of the federal government is to protect the sovereignty and the welfare of the American citizen. How is it remotely humanitarian to allow people to break our laws by entering the country illegally and then allow them to perpetuate ongoing criminal activity against the citizenry? Have we lost all common sense and reasoning that we continue to protect the criminals and allow the law abiding citizen to become a victim?

    • Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 11:38 am

      DD responds:

      Couldn’t have said it better, Mr. Salmi!

  2. Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 11:39 am

    Noozhawk Reader Rambler writes:

    The ill-considered blustering we hear from Trump will be followed by law suits that he will lose. It’s a very expensive thing, to place an idiot in the White House. Especially one who lost the popular vote by 3 million. That’s the only saving grace – that the majority of American voters could see this man is an idiot, and that even Hillary would have been a better choice.
    Unfortunately, the people who have less capacity for understanding the implications unfolding now, were also the most susceptible to his loopy messages

  3. Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 11:42 am

    ABQ Journal Reader Paul Brady writes:

    http://theremembranceproject.org/
    http://www.illegalaliencrimereport.com/

    When cities across the country declare that they will NOT be sanctuary, where will ALL the illegals, criminals, gang members fleeing ICE go? straight to any welcoming sanctuary city within a thousand mile radius. So ironically the people fighting for sanctuary city status, may have an unprecedented crime wave to deal with along with the additional expense and loss of federal funds.

    * 2012 illegal aliens sent home $62 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. This is why Mexico is getting involved in our politics.

    * $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English.

    * $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as (SNAP) food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.

    * $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.

    * $22 billion is spent on (AFDC) welfare to illegal aliens each year.

    * $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.

    * 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.Does not include local jails and State Prisons.

    * $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens.

    * Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States.

    * DACA illegals receive University admission discounts in numerous states.

    Sources:

    Senate Judiciary Committee.
    Center for Immigration Studies.
    Federation for American Immigration Reform.
    House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Investigations.
    Inter-American Development Bank.
    Violent Crimes Institute.
    Federation for American Immigration Reform.
    Immigration Studies Program.
    Illegal Alien Crime Report.
    Memorial to victims of Illegal Alien Crime.

    • Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 11:43 am

      ABQ Journal Reader Bob Martin replies::

      “$12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English.”
      When I was teaching at APS, someone sued APS because their illegal kid couldn’t speak English in an English-speaking educational system. The result: I’m sure there was a nice money settlement but there was also the requirement that all APS teachers were forced to attend Limited English Proficiency (LEP) learners training, on their OWN TIME for something like once a month for a year, to learn how to coddle these LEP students, instead of setting up resources to immerse them into learning English!

  4. Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 7:37 pm

    Twitter Pal vickie vertel@vvertel writes:

    Wonderful column today Diane. Crazy legal quagmires. It is my wish illegal committing crimes are deported. Before and after.

  5. Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 7:40 pm

    Facebook Friend Bonnie Dudley writes:

    There wont be a press conference to announce it, but he will chip away at it until he squeezes them so hard they choke.

  6. Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 7:40 pm

    Facebook Friend Drew Rutberg writes:

    By all means not only lose funding but be prosecuted for harboring fugitives.
    Not all of us like every​ law but we do have to follow every law

  7. Diane Dimond on April 17, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    Facebook Friend Pat Alder writes:

    If they break the law why should the cities benefit from federal funds?

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