I know there’s a populist uprising on Wall Street and the liberal media decided to report that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s COVID body bag piles were higher than projected. This coming after Andy said incompetent government was to blame for unnecessary COVID deaths. The man forced nursing homes in the Empire State to accept COVID-positive patients. I’d say that’s incompetent, but so is Democratic city councils and other governing bodies permitting illegal aliens to have sanctuary from federal law enforcement.
The reasoning behind these sanctuary laws is ridiculous. The Left pitched that this could help fight crime, as illegals would be more willing to provide witness testimony to felonies without fear of deportation. Of course, it’s been abused because Democrats want it to be abused. Criminal aliens roam free, committing murder and mayhem as they please — and Democrats endorse it. It doesn’t matter that American citizens commit crime at more frequent rates or whatever pivot liberals hurl into the media cycle to distract us from the horrid rapes and murders these illegals commit. The fact is these heinous crimes wouldn’t have happened if people who shouldn’t have been here remained thanks to liberal immigration policies.
As the Biden administration plans to unsurprisingly make a 180-degree turn on immigration, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC), with other congressional Republicans, have decided to draw a line in the sand on where they stand by re-introducing the Stop Sanctuary Cities and Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities bills.
The victims' bill contains three key provisions:
Defining a “Sanctuary Jurisdiction”:
The legislation defines a sanctuary jurisdiction as any state or political subdivision (including a county or city) that has a statute, ordinance, policy, or practice that restricts a government official or entity from receiving or maintaining information about the immigration status of an individual, including refusing to comply with lawful detainer requests made by DHS or the notification of the release of an illegal immigrant. A jurisdiction would not be deemed a “sanctuary jurisdiction” based solely on policies where officials do not share information or comply with detainers for illegal immigrants who come forward as a victim or a witness to a criminal offense.
Establishing civil action for the victims or family members of crimes committed by illegal immigrants benefitting from a sanctuary policy:
The legislation establishes a private right of action for any individual, spouse, or child who is a victim of a violent crime or felony that was a result of a sanctuary jurisdiction failing to comply with a lawful request made by the Department of Homeland Security and refused to comply with a detainer or notify DHS about the release of an illegal immigrant.
Withholding grant funding for jurisdictions that refuse to comply with lawful requests:
The legislation requires any state or political subdivision of a state to waive immunity as it relates to sanctuary-related civil action as a condition of receiving Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG) and certain Economic Development Administration grants. The failure to waive immunity on sanctuary-related civil action will result in the withholding of grants for public works, grants related to planning administrative expenses, and grants for training, research, and technical assistance.
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“This is a matter of public safety and the rule of law. At a time when the Biden administration refuses to crack down on sanctuary cities, Congress has the responsibility to act. It’s long past time that cities who refuse to enforce our immigration laws face legal consequences,” said Rep. Budd in a statement on the legislation. “When laws are not enforced, completely preventable tragedies strike. That has to stop. Our bill will put lawless cities on notice and will hopefully persuade them to enforce our laws and keep our streets safe.”
As for cracking down on the cities who adopt these pro-illegal alien tendencies, well, they haven’t been forgotten either. And this is a position Republicans should dig deep on and hold the line. For starters, the bill to stop sanctuary cities gives federal law enforcement the power to scoop up these bad folks:
Gives explicit authority to the arresting Federal, State, tribal, or local law enforcement agency to maintain custody of an illegal immigrant for a period not to exceed 48 hours to permit assumption of custody by the DHS, upon the issuance of a detainer.
Allows the federal government to enter into agreements with the arresting law enforcement agency to indemnify these agencies against wrongful detention claims by third parties which resulted from a detainer issued without reason to believe the individual is a removable illegal immigrant. Indemnification will not extend to claims relating to negligence or willful misconduct.
Makes jurisdictions ineligible for reimbursement of detention costs if they are certified by the DHS Secretary as being noncompliant with ICE.
Jurisdictions that are deemed noncompliant by the DHS Secretary will not receive priority when being considered for funding from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program and when benefitting from the 1033 and 1122 programs.
“Reckless sanctuary policies have allowed dangerous criminals back into communities in North Carolina, and that number will continue to increase as President Biden pushes for sanctuary city legislation that puts politics ahead of the safety and security of the American people,” said Senator Tillis.
“The Immigration Detainer Enforcement Act is a critical step in keeping rogue sheriffs in check so that North Carolinians are safe from violent criminals. This legislation clarifies sheriffs’ authority, incentivizes cooperation, and eliminates any excuse sheriffs use to justify why they ignore detainer requests.”
Immigration is bound to be another fight. Both sides are taking to their corners.
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