ANALYSIS.
Sanctuary cities, against the ropes: Trump rearm to deliver the coup de grâce
The president made it clear with the signing of new executive orders that he will not relent in his efforts to end the loopholes that allow the existence of these places that resist federal orders to favor illegal immigrants.
ICE agents detain an illegal immigrant.
Donald Trump is determined to fulfill the mandate of the American people to secure the border and remove from the country those who entered illegally, especially those with criminal records or are part of transnational criminal gangs that established themselves in the U.S. thanks to the laxity of Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas. One of the main stumbling blocks to this are the so-called sanctuary cities, to which the president has made it clear that he will not lift the siege against them until ending the legislation that sustains them.
A message sent again on Monday afternoon in the form of two new executive orders in which he comes to threaten them with the withdrawal of federal funds if they do not cooperate with the agencies of the federal administration in charge of the arrest and deportation of undocumented immigrants. The new legislation insists on a first rule that is on hold in the courts. One of the many caught up in Democratic lawfare.
This move, which involves the DOJ and DHS among others, makes it clear that Trump will continue to exert pressure on them until he achieves his goal, no matter how many executive orders or signatures it takes, in order to dismantle the legal shelters that allow them to maintain their status.
protecting US communities from criminal aliens
At the press conference introducing the measure, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained that these are initiatives to "unleash America’s law enforcement to pursue criminals" in order to "protect American communities from criminal aliens."
"This president is trying to simply enforce our nation’s immigration laws and is facing roadblock after roadblock," Leavitt added." We’re going to continue to forge ahead with this mass deportation campaign."
A romantic name for flouting federal immigration rules
Because, despite their romantic name, the so-called sanctuary cities are still, as their name suggests, cities—although also counties and even states—that limit or deny their cooperation to the Federal Administration in immigration matters. On many occasions, their goodwill has allowed the return to the streets of convicted criminals who have returned to crime, in some cases with crimes that have shocked public opinion.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), these are places that "have laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other practices that obtrude immigration enforcement and protect criminals from ICE, either by refusing or prohibiting agencies from complying with ICE detainers, imposing unreasonable conditions on detainer acceptance, denying ICE access to interview incarcerated aliens, or otherwise impeding communication or information sharing between its personnel and federal immigration officials."
Since the 1980s in the US
Historically its origin in the US dates back to the early 1980s. Its roots stem from religious movements and others self-described as "resistance to perceived state injustices." It was the response of several groups to challenge the federal government's refusal to grant asylum to certain Central American refugees fleeing conflicts such as El Salvador or Guatemala.
In March 1982, eight churches in the southeastern part of the country publicly declared sanctuary. John Fife, minister and leader of the movement, wrote in a famous letter to Attorney General William Smith: "the United Presbyterian Church on the south side will publicly violate the Immigration and Nationality Act by allowing refuge in our church to those from Central America."
Subsequently, in 1985 San Francisco passed a symbolic resolution to declare itself a "City of Refuge." Thus, through a city ordinance it prohibited the use of municipal funds and resources to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
Thirteen states and more than 500 counties and cities are safe havens for illegals
Right now, according to the CIS, there are 13 declared refuge states: they are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Washington. They are joined by more than 500 counties and cities proper divided across the country.
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