Sanctuary on Steroids? Radical Leftists Suggest Stopping Arrests for Drug and Driving Offenses
California Gov. Jerry Brown and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf have earned praise from open border loyalists for the actions they’ve taken to obstruct the rightful and legal enforcement of U.S. immigration law. Yet, some believe merely creating lawlessness in sanctuary jurisdictions is not going far enough.
A new report released by a far left think tank, the Century Foundation, and the Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argue sanctuary jurisdictions are not truly safe for illegal immigrants because “any interaction with the criminal legal system” can result in deportation” proceedings being initiated.
The report notes the common police practice after an arrest is to send fingerprints to the FBI, which then shares those fingerprints with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Well, the surest way to prevent the prints from tipping federal law enforcement to criminal aliens is simple – stop arresting lawbreakers for “certain offenses.”
Those certain offenses are not jaywalking, the favorite red-herring among those in the anti-immigration enforcement crowd, but real crimes that impact real lives.
Among those listed in the report are drug offenses, driving without a license or with a suspended license, petty larceny, and public drinking and drug use.
“If police really think it necessary, for public safety, to issue a summons for these offenses, doing so in place of arresting someone will have the dual benefit of keeping that person out of ICE’s sights, as well as keeping them out of jail,” says the report.
Public safety may be a lesser priority for the authors than keeping illegal criminal aliens in the country, but the implementation of this fantasy-based policy would have negative impacts on real lives.
Exhibit one is the aftermath of Mayor Schaaf public tip-off to illegal aliens earlier this month. Within weeks, at least three individuals who escaped ICE detention were arrested for serious crimes, including drunk driving and robbery.
Less than a month after Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee signed an executive order preventing state agencies from using Social Security numbers to search databases, local police are reporting the move is making their jobs more difficult.
“If we aren’t using information in the right way there might be violent, and dangerous criminals, who are not caught and who are not charged,” Steve Strachan, Executive Director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, told KOMONEWS.com this week.