On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions warned sanctuary cities that they stand to lose funding if they continue to shield illegal immigrants from federal authorities. Two days after that threat, the city of Seattle, is suing the administration.
Mayor Ed Murray and City Attorney Pete Holmes introduced the lawsuit on Wednesday, focusing on the following points.
One, that the federal government cannot order local police departments to do anything or coerce action by threatening to withhold dollars.
Second, the city will argue that they have not done anything illegal. Even if the city wanted to help, lawyers will argue, they cannot because the city doesn’t collect information on undocumented immigrants.
Some liberal leaders who pursue sanctuary city status for their localities insist on calling them "welcoming cities." Yet, judging by what happened in Rockville, Maryland, where two illegal immigrant students raped a freshman girl in a high school bathroom, we see that such a title is misleading and dangerous. Katie has been following that disturbing case closely. The students are currently being held in detention centers, while the father of one of the teens has been taken into custody by an ICE agent.
As you can see, these agents should be able to do their jobs.
Nevertheless, Seattle may soon be joined by several other cities fighting the administration's order.
