Author Topic: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?  (Read 40004 times)

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #75 on: February 10, 2017, 03:00:15 PM »
What a difference a president makes.

'We're going to see more': Sanctuary cities cave in face of Trump's funding threats

By  Elizabeth Llorente   
Published February 10, 2017
FoxNews.com
 
Several towns, cities and counties around the nation are caving to President Trump's threat to pull funding, and abandoning their "sanctuary" pledges to shield illegal immigrants from federal authorities.

Dayton, Ohio, dropped a policy that restricted the city’s cooperation with immigration officials pursuing illegal immigrants arrested for misdemeanors or felony property crimes, according to the Dayton Daily News. Police Chief Richard Biehl said federal authorities will no longer be impeded by the city when pursuing illegal immigrants being held by his department.

Other communities that have dropped policies of shielding illegal immigrant suspects from Immigration and Customs Enforcement include Miami-Dade and Dayton, are Saratoga, N.Y., Finney County, Kan., and Bedford, Penn., according to The Center for Immigration Studies, which keeps a list of sanctuary communities.

“We are reviewing policy changes at a multitude of other jurisdictions as well,” said Marguerite Telford, CIS’s director of communications, who said the organization is “being inundated” by officials on its sanctuary map who want to be taken off.

The mayor of Miami-Dade County, which was considered a sanctuary community, made headlines recently when he changed a policy that called for refusing to hold arrested immigrants for immigration officials unless they committed to reimbursing the county for the cost of detention.

Telling reporters that he did not want to imperil hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, Mayor Carlos Gimenez ordered jails to comply with federal immigration detention requests.

The changes have come on the heels of President Trump’s executive order giving the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security the power to cut federal funding to communities that are deemed sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. Trump also has authorized the DHS to publish a weekly list of sanctuary communities.

CIS, and other groups that favor strict immigration enforcement, laud Trump’s move.

“Are you really going to pick and choose what laws you’re going to enforce?” asked Telford. “If you want a change [in immigration policy], go to the legislature.”

While some communities are rethinking their sanctuary policies under the pressure of losing funding, public officials of others, particularly major cities, have vowed to defy Trump’s orders.

“We’re going to defend all of our people regardless of where they come from, regardless of their immigration status,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York at a recent press conference.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also vowed to protect illegal immigrants, including ones suspected or convicted of crimes, from the feds.

“I want to be clear: We’re going to stay a sanctuary city," Emanuel said. "There is no stranger among us… you are welcome in Chicago as you pursue the American dream.”

The "sanctuary" term describes cities that employ a range of uncooperation with federal immigration authorities. Some refuse to hold suspects and even convicts who have completed their sentences for the feds to deport. Others refuse to furnish the feds with information on illegal immigrants who land on their radar through more benign activity.

Forbes contributor Adam Andrzejewski reported that more than 300 government jurisdictions claim to be sanctuaries, of which 106 are cities and “the rest are states, counties or other units of government.”

Supporters of sanctuary communities say that people who are here illegally but have not posed a danger to others or had trouble with police should not be turned over to immigration authorities.

Some police and town officials further argue that working with immigration officials will make people fearful of turning to them if they are the victim of a crime or have information about one.

“It’s incredibly disappointing to see cities and counties scaling back so-called "sanctuary" policies, which were largely adopted to further public safety and ensure immigrants weren’t afraid to call the police,” Grace Meng, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch, told Fox News.

Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, predicted many more communities will be dropping or dramatically modifying their sanctuary stances.

“We’re going to see more of this,” Mehlman told Fox News. “Faced with the possibility of losing federal dollars, they’ll choose to keep funding public services rather than protecting illegal aliens.”

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/10/were-going-to-see-more-sanctuary-cities-cave-in-face-trumps-funding-threats.html

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #76 on: February 10, 2017, 03:49:18 PM »
I'm glad I live in a state where people have their heads on somewhat straight.

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #77 on: February 10, 2017, 04:31:59 PM »
I'm glad I live in a state where people have their heads on somewhat straight.



Congressman: Immigration raids in Central, South Texas part of 'Operation Cross Check'

A U.S. congressman confirmed reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are part of an operation that spans through south and central Texas.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro tweeted and took to Facebook Friday afternoon expressing his concern regarding peppered reports of raids throughout the state.

Castro said the agency's San Antonio field office has "launched a targeted operation."

"I'm asking ICE to clarify whether these individuals are in fact dangerous, violent threats to our communities, and not people who are here peacefully raising families and contributing to our state," Castro's statement reads. "I will continue to monitor this situation."




a

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #78 on: March 07, 2017, 03:33:12 PM »
Studies detail how much funding sanctuary cities stand to lose
Published March 07, 2017
FoxNews.com

States with cities that hold onto their "sanctuary" status for illegal immigrants potentially stand to lose tens of millions of dollars in federal funds, according to a new study published Tuesday.

The report details how much could be on the line, in the wake of President Trump's executive order that threatened to yank federal dollars for hundreds of sanctuary cities.

The order did not specifically say what sources of funding could be revoked. But the new report -- released by the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress, National Immigration Law Center and American Immigration Lawyers -- endeavors to calculate the amount of funding at stake, based on prior efforts by Republican lawmakers to defund sanctuary jurisdictions.

All told, the states hardest hit would be California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

California could lose as much as $239.5 million if its cities don't comply.

According to the report, New York risks losing $191.1 million, followed by Illinois at $91.3 million. Pennsylvania and Maryland round out the top five with $65.2 million and $35 million, respectively.

A “sanctuary city” typically refers to a government that has refused to comply with federal detention requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or take part in other immigration enforcement actions.

Trump’s January warning was enough to prompt Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, a Republican, to abandon his government's sanctuary status. But many sanctuary cities are likely to stay the course. Leaders in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Boston all say they won’t bow to pressure from the White House.

Tuesday’s report “How Much Funding for Sanctuary Jurisdictions Could Be at Risk,” identifies five key funding sources that could be pulled.

They include:
•The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, which helps states and localities pay for a range of criminal justice needs.
•The U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, which assists “economically distressed areas” with job creation and public works projects.
•The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, which reimburses localities for costs associated with detaining immigrants.
•The Community Development Block Grant program, which helps fund a range of housing, infrastructure and business development projects.
•The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which provides money for law enforcement agencies to hire additional community policing officers.

While the latest report looks at statewide funding, a separate report published last month by Open the Books, a nonprofit that analyzes government spending, took a closer look at the cities most likely affected by Trump’s executive order.

Titled, “Federal Funding of America’s Sanctuary Cities,” the report examined 106 sanctuary cities that are home to nearly 6 million of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. The cities received $27 billion from the federal government in fiscal year 2016.

The report revealed that highly populated cities like Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia would be able to sustain themselves without the federal funds but other places like Boston and Washington, D.C., would feel the pinch.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/07/studies-detail-how-much-funding-sanctuary-cities-stand-to-lose.html

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #79 on: March 21, 2017, 12:57:59 PM »
 >:(

White House blames Md. school rape on lax border, sanctuary policies

By  Malia Zimmerman and Christopher Wallace 
Published March 21, 2017
FoxNews.com

Critics - including the White House - blamed the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl in a high school restroom by two much older illegal immigrants students on failed federal policies.

The horrific attack Thursday, in a Rockville, Md., high school was allegedly carried out by two illegal immigrants, ages 17 and 18, who were enrolled in the ninth grade.

"This is a tragic event," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Tuesday. "It is horrendous and horrible and disgusting what the girl in Rockville went through.

"From an immigration standpoint, there are so many questions," Spicer said. "[One of the suspects] was 18. How does that person get put into 9th grade?"

“Some have severe mental health problems resulting from broken families or parental neglect, exposure to violence in their home country, and a traumatic experience coming here illegally.”

- Jessica Vaughan, Center for Immigration Studies

Critics say the attack grimly underscores the challenge of enrolling upper-teen illegal immigrants with poor language skills in public schools. One suspect, identified by police as Henry E. Sanchez-Milian, had been caught crossing the Mexican border just months ago.

“The surge of Central American kids has become a significant problem in many of the school districts where they are allowed to re-settle,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies. “It’s not uncommon for older kids to be placed in the lower high school grades with much younger kids, because they usually have had only a few years of schooling in their home country.”

Sanchez-Milian, a native of Guatemala, and Jose O. Montano, 17, from El Salvador, were charged with first-degree rape and two counts of first-degree sexual offense. Court records say they dragged the girl into a men’s bathroom, where they allegedly violently raped, sodomized and forced her to perform oral sex in a stall.

It is common for that school system to have adults with limited English speaking skills enrolled as freshman, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Smith told Fox 5 DC.

"We have a lot of 18-year-olds in our schools,” Smith said. “Our student was actually in a METS [Multidisciplinary Educational Training and Support] Program for English learners and that is a program we have across the system, and so, it is not a matter of what grade they were in, but the student was in a program for English learners.”

Vaughan said other students and their parents have no way of knowing which classmates are illegal immigrants – in some cases adults – or what dangers they may pose.

“Some have severe mental health problems resulting from broken families or parental neglect, exposure to violence in their home country, and a traumatic experience coming here illegally,” Vaughan said.

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department Special Victims Investigations Division arrested Montano and Sanchez after school officials reported the incident. A forensic team recovered blood and male fluids from the bathroom, court records show.

“It’s a terrible situation. It’s a horrible situation,” the school superintendent told Fox5DC. “We looked at all the information from Thursday and we handed it over to the police immediately. At this point, it is their investigation.”

U.S. Department of Homeland Security databases show a Border Patrol agent stopped Sanchez in August 2016 in Rio Valley Grande, Texas, and determined he’d entered the country illegally from Mexico.

“We do have 550,001 cases through the end of January pending before our courts, and our priorities are cases where the individual is still in detention,” said Kathryn Mattingly, of the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the Department of Justice. “Detained cases are our highest priority.”

Since Sanchez-Milian was released, he did not fall into that priority category. Still, the Border Patrol agent could have detained Sanchez-Milian and then sent him back across the border – but did not.

“If the Border Patrol intercepts somebody within 200 miles of the border, they have the ability to return the individual,” an official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Fox News. “But these individuals often claim fear of returning to their home country or desire some sort of judicial review for special reasons like asylum, or a special visa, so they ask for a right to see a border judge.”

Sanchez was ordered to appear before an immigration judge, but the hearing had not yet been scheduled.

ICE has since lodged an immigration detainer against Sanchez-Milian, so ICE can take him when he is released from local custody.

ICE did not release information on Montano. Both Montano and Sanchez will be tried as adults and could receive a life sentence. The judge who oversaw their bond hearing refused to release them on bail, because the students are “dangerous and flight risks.”

The Trump administration has made slashing the backlog of cases in immigration court a top priority. In some parts of the country, there is a three-year waiting list.

“We recognize that in order to reduce our immigration caseload we need to increase our hiring of immigration judges,” Mattingly said.

Officials in Montgomery County have been pushing to make the area a sanctuary for immigrants, and, according to Vaughan, is already uncooperative with ICE when it comes to illegal immigrants like Sanchez-Milian.

“Montgomery County is not the worst, but it’s pretty bad,” Vaughan said. “When Northern Virginia cracked down around 2005 from 2011, many illegals moved to Montgomery County, where they knew they would be treated more leniently.”

Montgomery County does not track crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

“This is not a statistic we track,” Maj. Michael England of the Rockville Police Department told Fox News.

Meanwhile, Maryland’s Republican governor, Larry Hogan, encouraged the county to cooperate with federal immigration agents.

“The State of Maryland is calling on Montgomery County to immediately and fully cooperate with all federal authorities during the investigation of this [alleged] heinous crime,” Hogan tweeted on Tuesday. “The public has a right to know how something this tragic and unacceptable was allowed to transpire in a public school.”

While most illegal immigrant kids enrolled at public schools do not pose a threat to their classmates, gang activity in school districts around the country has been linked to illegal immigration. On Long Island earlier this month, more than a dozen members of the El Salvadoran gang MS-13 were indicted in connection with seven murders in three years, including the deaths of several high school students last year.

Local communities’ refusal to cooperate with ICE, Vaughan said, means “many gang members and other thugs and miscreants are allowed to remain in the county in defiance of immigration laws and causing problems like this.”

Kids from Central America who cross the border illegally, without being vetted, may not have a criminal history here, but can in their country, said Claude Arnold, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations.

“These two could have gang ties in El Salvador and Guatemala or have an otherwise violent criminal history,” Arnold said. “Just like the thousands of other unaccompanied minors that have been released in the U.S. for the past several years, we know nothing about them.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/21/white-house-blames-md-school-rape-on-lax-border-sanctuary-policies.html

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #80 on: March 27, 2017, 02:02:33 PM »
Sessions takes aim at 'dangerous' sanctuary cities, warns on funding
Published March 27, 2017
FoxNews.com
 
Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired a broadside at so-called "sanctuary cities" Monday, telling reporters local policies of noncooperation with immigration authorities are "dangerous" and will cost communities federal funding.

In the Trump administration's most pointed warning yet, Sessions said federal law allows withholding of federal funding to sanctuary cities, and signaled that such measures will soon be taken. Sessions, who took the podium at White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's regular media briefing, warned of a pending crackdown by the administration.

"Such policies cannot continue," he said. "They make our nation less safe by putting dangerous criminals back on the street."


"Such policies cannot continue. They make our nation less safe by putting dangerous criminals back on the street."

- Attorney General Jeff Sessions

While not a technical term, "sanctuary cities" are communities that have refused to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials after detaining illegal immigrants. By federal law, they are required to inform the feds when they have an illegal immigrant in custody, even if he or she has not been convicted of a crime.

Several big cities, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as dozens and possibly hundreds of smaller counties, cities and towns, also refuse to notify ICE, which can then come and take custody of the illegal immigrant, possibly for deportation.

“LAPD has never participated in programs that deputize local law enforcement to act as immigration agents, and on my watch they never will,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said last week.

Immediately after Sessions spoke, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a staunch critic of Trump, said he will fight any efforts to defund sanctuary communities in the Empire State.

“My office will continue to ensure local governments have the tools they need to legally protect their immigrant communities – and we won’t stop fighting to beat back President Trump’s un-American immigration policies,” Schneiderman said in a statement.

But Sessions said such policies put citizens' safety in jeopardy.

"The American people know that when cities and states refuse to help enforce immigration laws, our nation is less safe," Sessions said.

Perhaps telegraphing action President Trump warned of during his campaign, Sessions said the administration will pull billions in federal funding to sanctuary communities if they remain in noncompliance.

Sessions said communities applying for Department of Justice grants will be required to show they are following immigration law.

The DOJ will withhold, and could potentially "claw back" grants to localities out of compliance with federal immigration law, Sessions said. He noted one Justice Department office alone was expecting to award more than $4.1 billion in grants this fiscal year.

"Failure to deport aliens who are convicted of criminal offenses puts whole communities at risk, especially immigrant communities in the very sanctuary jurisdictions that seek to protect the perpetrators," Sessions said.

Sessions, an early supporter of Trump's candidacy, is a longtime illegal immigration hawk who helped drive Trump's winning platform plank on the subject.

Early in Trump's candidacy, in July 2015, a woman named Kate Steinle was killed in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who had been deported previously and had recently been freed by local authorities. The murder became a rallying point for the campaign.

More recently, a 14-year-old Maryland high school girl was raped in a school bathroom allegedly by two men, at least one of whom is an illegal immigrant. That case has reignited the debate about illegal immigration and sanctuary policies.

Just days after his inauguration, Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to publish a weekly list of all detainer requests turned down by local jails. Trump said the list will "better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/27/sessions-takes-aim-at-dangerous-sanctuary-cities-warns-on-funding.html

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #81 on: April 04, 2017, 05:31:14 PM »
Seattle sues Trump administration over sanctuary city ban
By Reid Wilson - 03/30/17

The city of Seattle has filed suit to clarify an executive order signed by President Trump that would end funding for so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to comply with federal immigration officials.

The suit, filed Wednesday, asks a federal district court judge to declare that the city is acting in accordance with federal law. It also asks the judge to declare that Trump’s order is an unconstitutional violation of the 10th Amendment by attempting to force the city to enforce federal immigration law.

The suit also argues that the order violates Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, by withholding federal money unrelated to immigration enforcement in an attempt to force the city to comply.

It does not seek a restraining order halting Trump’s executive order, though.

“Seattle will not be bullied by this White House or this administration,” Mayor Ed Murray (D) said Wednesday. “The federal government cannot compel our police department to enforce federal immigration law and cannot use our federal dollars to coerce Seattle into turning our backs on our immigrant and refugee communities.”
The city expects to receive at least $55 million in federal funds this year to bolster its operating costs and another $99 million on infrastructure projects.

States and cities are not obligated to enforce federal immigration law or to comply with requests from federal officials to detain those in the country illegally solely on the basis of their immigration status.

Trump signed the executive order on Jan. 25, just days after being inaugurated. The order says sanctuary jurisdictions “willfully violate federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States.” It allowed both Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to block federal grants to jurisdictions that did not comply with federal immigration law.

On Monday, Sessions said the Justice Department would withhold grants from those sanctuary cities.

The order also directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hire 10,000 new immigration officers and to prioritize deporting those who had committed a crime. It also allowed immigration officers to deport those who, in their own judgment, posed a public safety or national security risk.

There is no legal definition of a sanctuary city, and there is no indication that the Trump administration formally views Seattle or any other city as a sanctuary jurisdiction. Seattle law prohibits city employees from asking about someone’s immigration status, though that law exempts police officers.

“This lawsuit represents Seattle’s attempt to mute histrionics in favor of a plain statement of the law,” Seattle city attorney Pete Holmes said Wednesday. “I hope the president will refrain from tweeting his legal opinion before our courts have an opportunity to do so.”

San Francisco, another sanctuary city, filed suit in January challenging Trump’s order. San Francisco is more clearly at risk of being labeled a sanctuary city because it operates a jail, which would be subject to detainer requests. Seattle does not operate a jail.

The suit is the latest front in a growing war between liberal cities and states and the Trump administration. Seattle was among the cities that have filed briefs with courts hearing challenges to the Trump administration’s ban on refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority countries. Earlier this week, a group of Democratic attorneys general said they were also looking in to possible legal action over the Trump administration’s moves to roll back Obama-era climate rules.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/326481-seattle-sues-trump-admin-over-sanctuary-city-ban

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #82 on: April 24, 2017, 07:39:46 PM »
Justice Dept. Tells 9 Sanctuary Cities Grant Money at Risk
Friday, 21 Apr 2017

The Trump administration is moving beyond rhetoric in its effort to crack down on sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The Justice Department is forcing nine communities to prove they are complying with an immigration law to continue receiving coveted law enforcement grant money.

The department sent letters Friday to places its inspector general previously identified as having rules limiting the information that can be provided to federal immigration authorities. They include California, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.

Officials there must provide proof from an attorney that they are following the law.

It is an extension of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' repeated threats to crack down on sanctuary communities by denying or stripping them of grant money.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/US-Trump-Sanctuary-Cities/2017/04/21/id/785669/

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #83 on: April 25, 2017, 12:11:44 PM »
Justice Dept. Tells 9 Sanctuary Cities Grant Money at Risk
Friday, 21 Apr 2017

The Trump administration is moving beyond rhetoric in its effort to crack down on sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The Justice Department is forcing nine communities to prove they are complying with an immigration law to continue receiving coveted law enforcement grant money.

The department sent letters Friday to places its inspector general previously identified as having rules limiting the information that can be provided to federal immigration authorities. They include California, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.

Officials there must provide proof from an attorney that they are following the law.

It is an extension of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' repeated threats to crack down on sanctuary communities by denying or stripping them of grant money.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/US-Trump-Sanctuary-Cities/2017/04/21/id/785669/
Nice!

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #84 on: May 29, 2017, 05:16:38 PM »
'Sanctuary Cities' protests interrupt Texas House session
By Brooke Singman
Published May 29, 2017
Fox News

Protests erupted in the Texas capitol building on Monday over Gov. Greg Abbott’s new law cracking down on ‘sanctuary cities,’ interrupting the final day in this year’s regular session of the Texas Legislature.

Hundreds of protesters chanted in opposition to the new law, forcing House leadership to stop the session and send state troopers to clear the gallery. 

Some protesters held banners that said, “See you in court” and “See you at the polls,” while others chanted “Hey, hey. Ho, ho. SB-4 has got to go.”

Abbott signed SB-4 into law earlier this month in an effort to remain consistent with federal immigration law. The law effectively bans sanctuary city policies in Texas and gives law enforcement officers the ability to ask the immigration status of anyone they stop. Under the law, officers who fail to comply, or cooperate, with federal immigration agents could face jail time and fines reaching $25,000 per day.

“What it means is that no county, no city, no governmental body in the state of Texas can adopt any policy that provides sanctuary, and second, what it means, is that law enforcement officials, such as sheriffs, are going to be required to comply with ICE detainer requests,” Abbott said on “Fox & Friends” the day after signing the bill into law.

He added, “Isn’t it quasi-insane that we have to pass a law to force law enforcement officers to comply with the law?”

Texas is the first state to officially ban sanctuary cities under President Trump. Colorado passed a law in 2006 outlawing sanctuary cities, but the measure was repealed in 2013. So far, only Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and Tennessee have officially passed bills into law banning ‘sanctuary policies.’ Virginia attempted two measures in the Republican-led legislature, but both were suspended after Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe threatened to veto.

The Texas law is set to take effect on Sept. 1, and opponents have vowed to challenge it in court, after slamming it as the nation’s toughest on immigrants since Arizona’s crackdown in 2010. But Abbott said key provisions of Texas’ law had been tested at the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down several components of Arizona’s law.

Mayors throughout the Lone Star State were in opposition to the bill’s passage, claiming it would weaken the relationship between law enforcement officials and the public, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton already filed suit against local jurisdictions that had been accused of not cooperating with federal immigration agents.

Paxton filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, just days after Abbott signed SB-4 into law.

“Unfortunately, some municipalities and law enforcement agencies are unwilling to cooperate with the federal government and claim that SB-4 is unconstitutional,” Paxton said.

But opposition groups are pushing back.

Just last week, the Texas Civil Right Project filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Texas Organizing Project Education Fund, alleging SB-4 is a “discriminatory, unconstitutionally vague” bill that encourages “racial profiling.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/29/sanctuary-cities-protests-interrupt-texas-house-session.html

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #85 on: May 29, 2017, 05:46:15 PM »


A U.S. congressman confirmed reported Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are part of an operation that spans through south and central Texas.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro tweeted and took to Facebook Friday afternoon expressing his concern regarding peppered reports of raids throughout the state.

Castro said the agency's San Antonio field office has "launched a targeted operation."

"I'm asking ICE to clarify whether these individuals are in fact dangerous, violent threats to our communities, and not people who are here peacefully raising families and contributing to our state," Castro's statement reads. "I will continue to monitor this situation."



Ga is pretty good on illegal  immigration and gun laws, I'm proud to say.

I'll bet their isn't much difference between us when it comes to gun rights and illegal immigration enforcement?

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #86 on: May 29, 2017, 05:56:42 PM »
Ga is pretty good on illegal  immigration and gun laws, I'm proud to say.

I'll bet their isn't much difference between us when it comes to gun rights and illegal immigration enforcement?

I don't keep up with Georgia.
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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #87 on: May 29, 2017, 06:01:50 PM »
I don't keep up with Georgia.
We have concealed carry permits  and easy access to purchase firearms.
For example, last week, I walked into a Ga Sporting Good store and bought a brand new AR-15 with 30 round clip.
Showed my drivers license, 5 min background check and out I walked with the rifle and plenty of ammo. F'n great! ;)

(AGAIN) I'd bet we're 99.99% the same on gun laws and illegal immigration enforcement.

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #88 on: June 29, 2017, 04:24:15 PM »
House passes Kate’s Law, as part of illegal immigrant crackdown
Published June 29, 2017
Fox News
 
House Republicans took action Thursday to crack down on illegal immigrants and the cities that shelter them.

One bill passed by the House would deny federal grants to sanctuary cities and another, Kate’s Law, would increase the penalties for deported aliens who try to return to the United States.

Kate's Law, which would increase the penalties for deported aliens who try to return to the United States and caught, passed with a vote of 257 to 157, with one Republican voting no and 24 Democrats voting yes.

Kate's Law is named for Kate Steinle, a San Francisco woman killed by an illegal immigrant who was in the U.S. despite multiple deportations. The two-year anniversary of her death is on Saturday.

President Trump called the bill's passage "good news" in a tweet, adding "House just passed #KatesLaw. Hopefully Senate will follow."

 Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Good news, House just passed #KatesLaw. Hopefully Senate will follow.
11:37 AM - 29 Jun 2017
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“He should not have been here, and she should not have died,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday, in a final push for Kate’s Law, an earlier version of which was blocked in the Senate last year. 

“Our job here is to make sure that those professionals have the tools that they need and the resources that they need to carry out their work and to protect our communities. That is what these measures are all about,” added Ryan.

The other bill, which would deny federal grants to sanctuary cities, passed with a vote of 228-195 with 3 Democrats voting yes and 7 Republicans voting no.

The brutal murder of Steinle catapulted the issue of illegal criminal aliens into the national spotlight. Alleged shooter Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez had been deported five times and had seven felony convictions.

On Wednesday, President Trump highlighted other cases during a White House meeting with more than a dozen families of people who had been victimized by illegal immigrants, including Jamiel Shaw Sr.

Shaw’s 17-year-old son Jamiel was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant in California in March 2008..

“He was living the dream," Shaw said during the meeting. "That was squashed out.”

The second measure, "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act," would cut federal grants to states and “sanctuary cities” that refuse to cooperate with law enforcement carrying out immigration enforcement activities.

“The word 'sanctuary' calls to mind someplace safe, but too often for families and victims affected by illegal immigrant crime, sanctuary cities are anything but safe,” Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly asserted in the pre-vote press conference.

“It is beyond my comprehension why federal state and local officials ... would actively discourage or outright prevent law enforcement agencies from upholding the laws of the United States,” he added.

While gaining support in the Senate for similar legislation will be a tough road, Trump called for Congress to act quickly.

Trump called on the House and the Senate to “to honor grieving American families” by approving a “package of truly key immigration enforcement bills” so that he could sign them into law.

“I promise you, it will be done quickly.  You don't have to wait the mandatory period. It will be very quick,” promised Trump.

Earlier on Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas D. Homan and U.S. Attorney for Utah John W. Huber made their case for the bills during the White House press briefing.

Huber said 40 percent of Utah’s current felony caseload involves criminal alien prosecutions and the number is increasing.

The bills, Huber asserted, would “advance the ball for law enforcement in keeping our communities safe” and “would give officers and prosecutors more tools to protect the public.

Many immigration rights groups have characterized efforts to crack down on sanctuary cities as “anti-immigrant,” but Attorney General Jeff Sessions says it is not sound policy to allow sanctuary cities to flout federal immigration laws.

According to Homan, ICE already has arrested nearly 66,000 individuals this year that were either known or suspected to be in the country illegally. Of those arrested, 48,000 were convicted criminal aliens.

“The practices of these jurisdictions are not only contrary to sound policy; they’re contrary to the law enforcement cooperation that is carried out every day in our country and is essential to public safety,” Sessions wrote in a Fox News op-ed backing the bills.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/06/29/house-passes-kate-s-law-as-part-illegal-immigrant-crackdown.html

mazrim

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #89 on: June 29, 2017, 04:40:43 PM »
House passes Kate’s Law, as part of illegal immigrant crackdown
Published June 29, 2017
Fox News
 
House Republicans took action Thursday to crack down on illegal immigrants and the cities that shelter them.

One bill passed by the House would deny federal grants to sanctuary cities and another, Kate’s Law, would increase the penalties for deported aliens who try to return to the United States.

Kate's Law, which would increase the penalties for deported aliens who try to return to the United States and caught, passed with a vote of 257 to 157, with one Republican voting no and 24 Democrats voting yes.

Kate's Law is named for Kate Steinle, a San Francisco woman killed by an illegal immigrant who was in the U.S. despite multiple deportations. The two-year anniversary of her death is on Saturday.

President Trump called the bill's passage "good news" in a tweet, adding "House just passed #KatesLaw. Hopefully Senate will follow."

 Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Good news, House just passed #KatesLaw. Hopefully Senate will follow.
11:37 AM - 29 Jun 2017
  10,502 10,502 Retweets   35,736 35,736 likes

“He should not have been here, and she should not have died,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday, in a final push for Kate’s Law, an earlier version of which was blocked in the Senate last year. 

“Our job here is to make sure that those professionals have the tools that they need and the resources that they need to carry out their work and to protect our communities. That is what these measures are all about,” added Ryan.

The other bill, which would deny federal grants to sanctuary cities, passed with a vote of 228-195 with 3 Democrats voting yes and 7 Republicans voting no.

The brutal murder of Steinle catapulted the issue of illegal criminal aliens into the national spotlight. Alleged shooter Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez had been deported five times and had seven felony convictions.

On Wednesday, President Trump highlighted other cases during a White House meeting with more than a dozen families of people who had been victimized by illegal immigrants, including Jamiel Shaw Sr.

Shaw’s 17-year-old son Jamiel was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant in California in March 2008..

“He was living the dream," Shaw said during the meeting. "That was squashed out.”

The second measure, "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act," would cut federal grants to states and “sanctuary cities” that refuse to cooperate with law enforcement carrying out immigration enforcement activities.

“The word 'sanctuary' calls to mind someplace safe, but too often for families and victims affected by illegal immigrant crime, sanctuary cities are anything but safe,” Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly asserted in the pre-vote press conference.

“It is beyond my comprehension why federal state and local officials ... would actively discourage or outright prevent law enforcement agencies from upholding the laws of the United States,” he added.

While gaining support in the Senate for similar legislation will be a tough road, Trump called for Congress to act quickly.

Trump called on the House and the Senate to “to honor grieving American families” by approving a “package of truly key immigration enforcement bills” so that he could sign them into law.

“I promise you, it will be done quickly.  You don't have to wait the mandatory period. It will be very quick,” promised Trump.

Earlier on Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas D. Homan and U.S. Attorney for Utah John W. Huber made their case for the bills during the White House press briefing.

Huber said 40 percent of Utah’s current felony caseload involves criminal alien prosecutions and the number is increasing.

The bills, Huber asserted, would “advance the ball for law enforcement in keeping our communities safe” and “would give officers and prosecutors more tools to protect the public.

Many immigration rights groups have characterized efforts to crack down on sanctuary cities as “anti-immigrant,” but Attorney General Jeff Sessions says it is not sound policy to allow sanctuary cities to flout federal immigration laws.

According to Homan, ICE already has arrested nearly 66,000 individuals this year that were either known or suspected to be in the country illegally. Of those arrested, 48,000 were convicted criminal aliens.

“The practices of these jurisdictions are not only contrary to sound policy; they’re contrary to the law enforcement cooperation that is carried out every day in our country and is essential to public safety,” Sessions wrote in a Fox News op-ed backing the bills.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/06/29/house-passes-kate-s-law-as-part-illegal-immigrant-crackdown.html
Also pushing "No Sanctuary for Criminal Act". Such a shame that these probably won't pass the senate due to needing 60 votes. Disappointing. I don't agree with Trump on some issues (healthcare, etc.) but so stupid that these won't pass simply because of party lines.

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #90 on: June 29, 2017, 06:45:12 PM »
Also pushing "No Sanctuary for Criminal Act". Such a shame that these probably won't pass the senate due to needing 60 votes. Disappointing. I don't agree with Trump on some issues (healthcare, etc.) but so stupid that these won't pass simply because of party lines.
Agreed, how does this not pass. What a crazy USA now.

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #91 on: August 03, 2017, 04:43:15 PM »
Sessions Barring Sanctuary Cities From Crime-Reduction Program
Thursday, 03 Aug 2017

U.S. cities that refuse to step up efforts to focus on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants will not be allowed to participate in a new crime reduction training program unveiled earlier this year by the Justice Department, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday.

In making the announcement, Sessions singled out four local police departments that had expressed interest in the new Public Safety Partnership Program, saying they first had to answer a list of questions by Aug. 18 confirming they do not have any "sanctuary" policies to shield illegal immigrants from possible deportation by ensuring they will allow federal immigration officials access to local jails.

"By protecting criminals from immigration enforcement, cities and states with so-called 'sanctuary' policies make all of us less safe," Sessions said.

The four police departments that must respond are Albuquerque, New Mexico; Baltimore, Maryland; and San Bernardino and Stockton, California.

Representatives for the four cities' police departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Sessions' announcement reflects part of a broader policy push by President Donald Trump to crack down generally on illegal immigration.

He has urged Congress to support funding the building of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the administration has moved to dramatically widen the net of illegal immigrants targeted for deportation.

This week, Trump also backed a bill developed by Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia to also cut back on legal immigration by 50 percent over ten years.

The National Public Safety Partnership is a new program launched in June that involves a three-year initiative geared toward areas with high rates of violent crime.

Twelve cities were selected when it was first launched, including Buffalo, New York, Houston, Texas and in Sessions' home state, Birmingham, Alabama.

It is unclear how cities with interest in the program may respond to the Justice Department's stance, but some municipalities have pushed back against the Trump administration's immigration policies.

A U.S. judge last month refused to remove a block on an executive order by President Donald Trump that would have withheld federal funds from "sanctuary" cities, which do not use municipal funds or resources to help advance the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/sessions-sanctuary-crime-reduction/2017/08/03/id/805606/

Howard

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #92 on: August 03, 2017, 04:57:30 PM »
The crazy thing about "sanctuary cities" is they are openly allowed to ignore the federal immigration laws.
When any gov official tries to enforce the EXISTING LAWS, they act shocked  :o

One of the things I'll give Trump and AG Sessions credit for, is trying to enforce immigration laws.

Now, things recently went "mega-retard" when Trump aid, Steven Miller, refuted the statue of liberty inscription.
C'mon now, I'm actually with 'em on this issue. I really am!
But 'dissing the inscription on the statue of liberty is a complete train wreck of a PR move.
He may as well take a pic of his dog, pissing on the bronze lady and tweet it.

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #93 on: August 03, 2017, 05:01:39 PM »
The crazy thing about "sanctuary cities" is they are openly allowed to ignore the federal immigration laws.
When any gov official tries to enforce the EXISTING LAWS, they act shocked  :o

One of the things I'll give Trump and AG Sessions credit for, is trying to enforce immigration laws.

Now, things recently went "mega-retard" when Trump aid, Steven Miller, refuted the statue of liberty inscription.
C'mon now, I'm actually with 'em on this issue. I really am!
But 'dissing the inscription on the statue of liberty is a complete train wreck of a PR move.
He may as well take a pic of his dog, pissing on the bronze lady and tweet it.


Not really.  Who claims that "poem"?  I don't.

jude2

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #94 on: August 03, 2017, 07:37:29 PM »
Not really.  Who claims that "poem"?  I don't.
That poem was added much later.  Howie needs to research this better.

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #95 on: August 04, 2017, 03:50:09 AM »
LA made $1.3B in illegal immigrant welfare payouts in just 2 years
Fox ^ | 8/3/2017
Posted on 8/4/2017, 4:58:42 AM by Altura Ct.

Illegal immigrant families received nearly $1.3 billion in Los Angeles County welfare money during 2015 and 2016, nearly one-​quarter of the amount spent on the county’s entire needy population, according to data obtained by Fox News.

The data was obtained from the county Department of Public Social Services -- which is responsible for doling out the benefits -- and gives a snapshot of the financial costs associated with sanctuary and related policies.

The sanctuary county of Los Angeles is an illegal immigration epicenter, with the largest concentration of any county ​in the nation, according to a study from the Migration Policy Institute. ​The county also allows illegal immigrant parents with children born in the United States to seek welfare and food stamp benefits. Robert Rector, a Heritage Foundation senior fellow who has written extensive studies on poverty and illegal immigration, said the costs represent “the tip of the iceberg.”

He said the costs of education, police and fire, medical, and subsidized housing can total $24,000 per year in government spending per family, much more than would be paid in taxes.

“They get $3 in benefits for every $1 they spend,” Rector said.

The Trump presidency’s hardline immigration policies, though, may be playing some role in curtailing the population seeking welfare payments in recent months. The same stats show Los Angeles County is expected to dole out $200 million less this year than in 2016, and several thousand fewer families are collecting benefits. “The number of entrants nationwide is going down. The population is static if not shrinking,” Rector said.   The welfare benefit data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services shows:

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com .

Howard

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #96 on: August 04, 2017, 05:07:25 AM »
That poem was added much later.  Howie needs to research this better.

I know that .

The statue of liberty is an American symbol and the poem represents those values in words.
Claiming THAT is wrong or irrelevant, is dismissing a timeless American value.

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #97 on: August 04, 2017, 04:31:03 PM »
That poem was added much later.  Howie needs to research this better.

Yes, IMO it was done to keep the common people from (rightfully) securing power once and for all.  America scared the living hell out of the entitled classes, making them determined to destroy us from within.

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #98 on: August 04, 2017, 04:40:39 PM »
I know that .

The statue of liberty is an American symbol and the poem represents those values in words.
Claiming THAT is wrong or irrelevant, is dismissing a timeless American value.

You're too easily brainwashed, Howard.  Doesn't mean you aren't a good guy, but you shouldn't be surprised to be called out as often as you are.

Primemuscle

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Re: Why isn't the Obama Administration pursuing "sanctuary cities"?
« Reply #99 on: August 04, 2017, 05:24:35 PM »
Agreed, how does this not pass. What a crazy USA now.

Simple, it needs 60 or more votes to pass.