Open-Borders Politicians Fight to Protect Illegal Aliens From Trump Immigration Policies

FAIR Take | November 2024

Just two weeks after the election of President Trump, open-borders advocates are organizing to fortify their sanctuary policies and fight the deportation of illegal aliens. They are also vowing to fight state and local policies to cooperate with federal immigration officials, setting the stage for costly legal battles with the federal government.

Governor Gavin Newsom will convene a special legislative session to “Trump-proof” the Golden State. The special session, scheduled for December 2, will focus on securing additional funding for California’s Department of Justice to challenge potential federal immigration policies in court.

Additionally, California’s Attorney General (AG), Rob Bonta, has urged municipalities to “reinforce and strengthen” existing sanctuary city laws. AG Bonta emphasized that “The federal government can’t conscript or commandeer state or local resources or law enforcement agencies to do their job,” suggesting that California may take additional steps to prevent local agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto are working with the City Council to quickly codify a sanctuary city ordinance. The goal of the ordinance is to further restrict local law enforcement from engaging with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), by prohibiting “any city resources, property or personnel from being utilized for any federal immigration enforcement.” Although Los Angeles already prohibits using local resources to assist federal immigration agencies, Mayor Bass says the ordinance is needed and “demands urgency.”

Other states have followed California’s approach. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey told MSNBC that she intends to use every tool at the state’s disposal to shield migrants from Trump’s renewed zero-tolerance immigration policies, including prohibiting state law enforcement from aiding in any mass deportations. However, some law enforcement officers disagree with Healey’s position. Worchester County Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis, for example, notes there has been a 1,000% increase in refugee and immigrant arrivals in the Bay State, accompanied by a “significant increase in criminal activity.” He states that his office will continue to work with federal partners.

In New York, the Office of Court Administration is standing behind a 2020 law that prohibits ICE agents from arresting individuals on or near courthouse property. This move appears to be a response to newly-appointed Border Czar Tom Homan’s promise to “double the number of agents we send to New York” should the sanctuary state resist federal enforcement efforts. While New York City Mayor Eric Adams has acknowledged that the current immigration system is “an embarrassment,” he declared that the city’s sanctuary policies would remain in place, seemingly unwilling to recognize that these policies only serve to incentivize more illegal immigration.

Finally, just a week after the election, Governors J.B. Pritzker (D-Illinois) and Jared Polis (D-Colorado) created a new group, Governors Safeguarding Democracy, to pull together governors and attorney generals from across the U.S. together to fight Trump’s immigration policies. One of the objectives of the group according to Governor Polis is “to make sure that states have the space, including Colorado, to protect every citizen, even when we face adversity from our own federal government.”

The actions by these pro-illegal alien states and localities demonstrate they are willing to defend open borders policies despite a clear message sent by the voters in November to end the border crisis and enforce our immigration laws. Their efforts to tie Trump’s hands and stall his immigration policies will likely result in hundreds of lawsuits similar to their efforts during his first term.