The Trump administration is
not going to let Democrat
officials get away with
putting American citizens in
danger by sheltering
criminal illegal aliens from
federal law enforcement.
In his State of the Union
address, President
Trump highlighted several
tragic stories of Americans
killed, raped and maimed by
criminal illegal aliens who
were allowed to roam free
because “sanctuary” cities
and states refuse to
cooperate with federal
immigration authorities.
The president called on
Congress to pass federal
legislation allowing these
victims and their families
to sue the jurisdictions
that enabled their
suffering, but his
administration isn’t simply
waiting for Congress to take
action against sanctuary
policies. Attorney General
Bill Barr’s Justice
Department and the
Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) under acting
Secretary Chad Wolf are
engaged in parallel efforts
to crack down on these
irresponsible policies
now.
The vast majority of
Americans — upwards of 80
percent — oppose the
so-called “sanctuary”
movement. Nevertheless, in
their collective fit of
spiteful rage over Donald
Trump being elected
president, Democrats around
the country have embraced
these indefensible policies
as a means of making a
political statement.
Until fairly recently, few
if any local or state
politicians would actually
consider prohibiting their
police officers from
cooperating with federal
agents, sharing information
when they arrest people who
are in the country
illegally, and keeping known
illegal alien criminals in
custody until they can be
deported. Today, however,
that’s the law of the land
in California, New York,
Illinois, and seven other
states — along
with dozens of cities and
counties. But in a few
instances, sanctuary
politicians have decided to
go even further to protect
illegal aliens.
In California, a law would
prohibit the DHS from
operating certain detention
facilities in the state.
In Washington State’s King
County, a local politician
believes he can prohibit ICE
from using the federally
licensed SeaTac
International Airport. And
in New Jersey, a 2018
directive requires state
authorities not only to
conceal the immigration
status of prisoners and
detainees from the federal
government, but to actually
inform these criminals if
immigration agents are
looking for them.
Each of these policies flies
in the face of the
Constitution and federal
law. Thanks to Attorney
General Barr’s refusal to
look the other way, each is
going to be challenged in
court.
Separately, New York State
just joined 13 other states
and the District of Columbia
in granting driver’s
licenses to illegal aliens.
New York went even further
than the other states,
prohibiting DMV workers from
sharing information with
federal law enforcement
about foreigners who obtain
state-issued identification.
In response, DHS Secretary
Wolf made the decision to
remove New York from DHS’s
Trusted Travelers
Programs, explaining that
the lack of cooperation from
state authorities undermines
the federal government’s
ability to keep America
safe. From now on, New York
IDs won’t be valid for
applications for Global
Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and
FAST, which allow expedited
processing for trusted
international travelers.
Simply put, the Trump
administration is not going
to let New York put American
citizens in danger —
especially not for the sake
of making a partisan
political point.
These measures are harsh but
necessary. If the federal
government doesn’t impose
actual consequences for
cities and states that adopt
sanctuary policies, liberal
lawmakers are going to
continue to grow ever bolder
in their attempts to prevent
the enforcement of federal
immigration law.
The fact is, we all pay the
price for the lawlessness
that sanctuary jurisdictions
enable. When thousands of
illegal alien criminals —
many of them repeat
offenders — are released
into the community instead
of being deported, no
American citizen is truly
safe.
Playtime is over. Elected
officials who sacrifice our
safety, security, and the
rule of law so they can
grandstand about how
aggressively they’re
“resisting” President Trump
will face consequences for
their reckless endangerment
of American citizens.
Joseph diGenova was US
Attorney for the District of
Columbia and an Independent
Counsel. He is the founding
partner of diGenova &
Toensing, LLP.
