Red, blue states split over Trump’s ‘sanctuary city’ order
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ahmed El Shenawy carries the American Flag around a wall of humans intended to protect the stage on the steps of the capitol for Texas Muslim Capitol Day, Tuesday, at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas.
SALEM, Ore. >> President Donald Trump’s promised crackdown on “sanctuary cities” has triggered divergent actions from blue and red states, revealing the deep national divide on immigration as some move to follow his order and others break with the U.S. government to protect immigrants in the country illegally.
California, the nation’s largest state, is pushing for a statewide sanctuary that would prohibit law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, while a fellow U.S.-Mexico border state, Texas, is seeking to withhold funding from cities with the policies.
Trump’s recent executive orders threatening to withhold federal funding from communities with sanctuary policies and calling for a border wall have produced widespread protests and fears that more immigration restrictions are in the future. The president’s supporters have hailed the efforts.
Cities have mostly taken up sanctuary laws. There’s no official definition, but often they tell police not to inquire about the immigration status of those they arrest or they decline requests from immigration officials to keep defendants in custody while they await deportation.
But liberal states like California would not be the first to block police from enforcing federal immigration law. Oregon pioneered statewide sanctuary in a 1987 law, when immigrant workers and their families were sometimes housed in appalling conditions despite their importance to agricultural profits.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said she will enforce that law.
“They mow our lawns. They pick our grapes,” Brown said last week. “They take care of our children and they take care of our seniors, and I want to make sure they feel welcome in Oregon.”
Advocates say the laws ensure people in the country illegally will come forward to report crimes without fear of deportation. Opponents cite concerns about crime, including the shooting death of Kate Steinle in San Francisco. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, who was in the country illegally after multiple deportations to his native Mexico, has been charged with murder.
San Francisco reaffirmed its commitment to sanctuary polices by suing Trump on Tuesday, the same day California state senators advanced legislation that would provide money for lawyers for immigrants facing deportation and hamper any attempt to create a Muslim registry.
The state is home to an estimated 2.3 million immigrants in the country illegally.
“We want to make sure that police officers don’t abandon their beat and go enforce immigration laws,” said Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles.
Some California Republicans fought back. State Sen. Jeff Stone voted against the measure, saying, “I think this bill is making it that much more difficult for the federal authorities to get the most dangerous criminals that we want to deport to keep our communities safe.”
Three states away, Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, embraced Trump’s order, saying the administration is showing the potential to secure the border.
He instructed lawmakers to send him a bill by June that punishes local governments that don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Abbott wants to withhold taxpayer money to cities that don’t detain immigrants and to remove locally elected officials if they don’t comply.
Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez, who runs the jails in the liberal enclave of Austin, plans this week to stop honoring all federal immigration requests to detain suspects and only comply with requests to hold those accused of murder, aggravated sexual assault and human trafficking. Abbott responded by blocking $1.5 million in criminal justice grants to the county.
Idaho also is moving to enforce Trump’s order, though the state has no sanctuary cities. A bill this week would hold back taxpayer money.
The actions come in a different political climate from when Oregon instituted its statewide protections. The governor’s office said Oregon has not faced any federal reprisals over the years but that it could change.
Gov. Brown said she would fight for Oregon’s law, including taking legal action, if Washington tries to withhold federal funding as leverage.
The law means immigrants can go to police when they are a victim of a crime or witness one, without fearing deportation, said Jann Carson, associate director of the ACLU of Oregon.
“The biggest result is that Oregon police have not participated in INS, now ICE, raids on migrant farms, apartment buildings, roadblocks,” Carson said.
She said immigrants here illegally can’t receive welfare benefits but that many pay taxes. The Social Security Administration estimated immigrants and their employers paid $13 billion in payroll taxes in 2010.
Former lawmaker Dick Springer helped pass Oregon’s measure 30 years ago. He said it was driven by unsanitary and crowded living conditions for migrant workers and the agriculture industry’s dependence on those workers.
“We were aware of really atrocious conditions for farmworkers … 50 people would be living in a barn,” Springer said in a telephone interview Tuesday.
The 1987 measure received bipartisan support. Asked if it makes Oregon a sanctuary state, Springer said that was his intent.
“We’re not going to hassle people that want to make a living and are contributing to our economy,” he said, choking up with emotion. “They have a very strong work ethic. They have commitment to faith and to family. Those are the families we cherish, embrace and welcome.”
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Associated Press reporters Jonathan J. Cooper in Sacramento, California; Kimberlee Kruesi in Boise, Idaho; Paul J. Weber and David Saleh Rauf in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
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Follow Andrew Selsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andrewselsky
20 responses to “Red, blue states split over Trump’s ‘sanctuary city’ order”
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Trump thinks that he can bully mayors and governors into fulfilling one of his more ridiculous campaign pledges – that he will rid the United States of sanctuary cities and states. He cannot do that. What Trump is suggesting is a federal government takeover of local and state police departments and sheriff offices. That is not going to happen. The Constitution will not allow this. Immigration is entirely a federal government function.
Can you imagine the reaction of the right wing nut case folks if President Obama had proposed forcing local police departments to do his bidding?
Trump is a psychotic. That must be obvious to every person with a brain at this point. Every person who voted for him should be ashamed of what they have done to this country.
He actually can, because there are laws against illegal immigration.
They just haven’t been enforced because from a practical point of view, it isn’t worth the time and money to enforce illegal immigration. Tearing families apart also doesn’t make for great news stories.
But Trump absolutely can choose to enforce existing immigration laws if he wants to do so.
No, he can’t. Why are you lying?
The Constitution does not allow the federal government to force states and cities to enforce federal law.
He can! Stop Lying Klastri. Also Trump CAN withhold Federal Dollars going to The Sanctuary Cites.This part IS KEY! “Reading is Fundamental”? Right?
MoiLee – You’re wrong. The Constitution is in place to prevent a psychotic tyrant from Trump from causing that type of damage.
Trump cannot force states and cities to enforce immigration law, and cannot withhold tax dollars due to the President’s manifest personality disorders.
You are thoroughly ignorant about every subject, so I wouldn’t expect you to understand this one.
So klas, just to be clear, you’re stating here that the federal government cannot withhold designated funds linked to specific requirements?
IRT Klastri: Crawl back into your safe zone, you have no clue in what you are saying. Your hatred and bitterness towards President Trump is preventing you from seeing the big picture. What is wrong with putting America and Americans first and is it illegal for these Aliens to be living in the country without the proper Documentation. We would never be in this situation if the prior administration had the b@#$s to put America and its people first. I am sure if your hero Hilliar won and she took a hard stance on immigration you would stand up and cheer. We finally have a President that is making good on his campaign promises and the country will be a better place because of it.
“We would never be in this situation if the prior administration had the b@#$s to put America and its people first.”
Didn’t Illegal Aliens come into America before Obama took office??? You are correct that Trump is going to try and put a stop to it, and force will be used on anyone who disagrees…#MAGA
The American Reset is taking place…
IRT jusris: of course they did. Instead of recognizing the immigration problem and trying to restructure it Obama elected to continue to expand on the already flaws in the system and so did the other administration’s before him. Finally a President that understands the mess this country is in and is standing up to the fact. There is nothing wrong with putting America, the American people and the safety of the country first. #MAGA
davcon – The federal government cannot force a state or city government to enforce immigration laws.
klastri, you comment is full of bull, its’s pathetic. Why should the federal government give money to cities where it lets illegals break federal laws? It is nothing about taking over city police forces and you know it. Most intelligent people know that, even democrats.
Trump is correcting things that should not have happened at all. The federal government let the illegal immigration problem go on far too long. This should have been stopped fifty years ago. Now, the clout and influence are apparent. All for the sake of cleaning our homes, picking crops, etc. What a bunch of crock just like you klastri. Heaven forbid if Hiliary won; it would be business as usual. Also, I live in Texas, not in Hawaii; I witness first-hand the impact illegals have on our country.
It is truly amazing that klastri the lying loser lawyer doesn’t understand the meaning of illegal. President Trump is moving fast getting things done and all this misfit can do is personally attack him and his supporters. Pathetic.
The federal government is responsible for this issue – not cities and states. The Constitution will not allow the federal government to seize local and state police departments. Being undocumented is not a state or local crime.
States and cities are already filing suits against Trump. He cannot win those cases.
Learn something today.
Undocumented=illegal=breaking Federal Law. Lock em up. Trump is doing exactly what he was elected to do. Full speed ahead. The bleeding hearts will continue to whine.
This is the reason why LIBS want the illegals?
Hillary Clinton received 800,000 votes from noncitizens, bolsters Trump argument, study finds – Washington Times:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/26/hillary-clinton-received-800000-votes-from-nonciti/
The federal government cannot force states and cities to enforce immigration law.
People are lying here (as they always do) about widespread voter fraud. All lies. Serial liars who are unable to be truthful about anything, ever.
You don’t want to put up a link to a story by the Washington Times, owned and funded by the Moonies and their leader who thinks he’s the second coming of Jesus. #FakeNews.
Klastri the game is over, due to your hatred and bitterness towards President Trump you have exposed yourself as a phony (Lawyer). Your comments are so ignorant to the fact, you have no clue on what you are saying. Crawl back into your safe zone and do whatever you powder puffs do (color, play with leggo, fuzzy animals) to ease the pain from your defeat.
Since you know absolutely nothing whatever about the Constitution or law, you have gotten this all wrong. As always.
Mr. Trump has no authority, of any kind, to take control of state or local police departments. He cannot force them to enforce federal law.
You are totally ignorant of the subject matter. Trump is a psychotic.
Davcon, you’re wasting your time with klastry. I’m pretty sure he/she is a 9 years old using his mom’s computer in the family’s basement. He hasn’t said anything in years that resembles an intelligent “adult”. Maybe if we ignore him/her, she will go away.
Hey klastri, what’s HiLIARy up to? Is she helping the latino community with things? Or maybe doing some other important charity work. I’m betting she’s watching the news, crying, eating gallons of ice cream while screaming at the tv. While Bill is at Hooters.
Buh Bye Clintons.