Americans are hearing a lot about “Sanctuary Cities” these days. But just what is meant by the term “Sanctuary Cities”?
For many people, the term conjures up an amnesty for illegal immigrants. Or policies that promote illegal immigration.
The fact is, proponents of Sanctuary Cities want both. Think of Sanctuary Cities as stepping stones to a larger agenda.
Sanctuary Cities are really jurisdictions that resist cooperating with federal immigration authorities. They fancy themselves political allies of lawbreakers, and their policies discourage local officials from checking immigration status with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or honoring “hold requests” made by federal officials when they want to pick up someone for removal proceedings. The result? Sanctuary Cities or “no-cooperation” cities mean criminal aliens go free even after contact with local enforcement officials.
President Donald Trump wants to end Sanctuary Cities and get all local jurisdictions to cooperate with DHS to discourage illegal immigration. Other components of the Trump plan include an expansion of the “everify” program – also known as E-Verify” – in order to ensure only those authorized to work get American jobs, and the Trump Wall. The Trump Wall would place a needed physical barrier at key points along the border to restore law and order to our long border with Mexico. And this is only the beginning of Trump’s plan.
The Everify program would help ensure employers must do a work eligibility check whenever anyone is hired for a job. Everify is a pilot program that everyone agrees needs to be expanded nationally. Let’s work together to make it happen in 2017.