You’ve heard of sanctuary cities, but Californians took things one step further and declared themselves a “sanctuary state” this fall. This bold move is meant to undermine the authority of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and subvert Federal law entirely.
Essentially, the bluest state in the Union is rejecting the purpose of its own borders, and by extension nationhood as a core concept.
California already has sanctuary cities, which prevent local law enforcement from deporting those who are jailed for crimes. These cities also ban local government officials and all employees from cooperating with ICE and other Federal agents who are working to deport illegal aliens.
Under sanctuary city rules, law enforcement can’t detain, investigate, question or arrest those illegal aliens living within the boundaries. In some limited circumstances, authorities are allowed to proceed, but this is exceedingly rare.
The state of California recently increased the scope and span of the idea of sanctuary, making it state wide and preventing officials from participating in deportation activities at all. While the state can’t forbid or stop federal officers from deporting illegal aliens or participating in activities designed to remove illegal immigrants from the country, the state can prevent local law enforcement from helping them do so.
The recent move by California does just that, state wide. Local, city, state and county law officers and employees are no longer allowed to assist or participate in the deportation of illegal aliens, making it easier for those in the country illegally to stay in California. The state sanctuary bill, also known as Senate Bill 54, wants to block local law enforcement from participating in deportation activities and severely restrict the way that they can cooperate with ICE and other Federal agencies.
According the Blaze, Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff described the dynamic like this: “If a checkpoint is conducted somewhere, we don’t invite them. But the reality is they can drop by any time they want.”
If Senate Bill 54 passes, both ICE and the United States Customs and Border Protection would have no cooperation from local law enforcement in California. That includes removing ICE and border patrol agents from local jails, and preventing them from accessing some state data and systems. It also bans state workers from asking about a person’s immigration or citizenship status at all.
The bill allows for some cooperation in specific instances that could later lead to deportation and does still allow Federal law enforcement to access fingerprint data for those actually arrested, but otherwise staunchly limits the role that law enforcement can play. Preventing Ice from accessing jails could result in more dangerous illegal aliens being released back into the U.S. after arrest or time served; these convicted criminals could then potentially commit more crimes in the country.
In a blistering statement released just after California’s announcement of their intention to interfere with law enforcement in the state, ICE director Tom Homan warned that his agency would have to expand their operations in the state.
“ICE will have no choice but to conduct at-large arrests in local neighborhoods and at worksites,” Homan’s statement read. “[the bill] will inevitably result in additional collateral arrests, instead of focusing on arrests at jails and prisons where transfers are safer for ICE officers and the community.”
A collateral arrest is one that occurs when an illegal alien is found with someone targeted for deportation by ICE. In many cases, ICE targets violent immigrants with criminal histories or warrants; illegal aliens found in the company of these wanted individuals could be detained as well. Since the secondary party was simply there by happenstance and not suspected of a crime beyond illegal entry, critics argue that collateral arrests should not be allowed.
The statement also warned that those detained by ICE would be moved from California to another state to await deportation; this would make it more difficult for families to see one another or get assistance when a deportation action is pending. Homan also felt that the sanctuary state bill would be detrimental to the safety of California residents and that the state would attract even more illegal aliens due to their stance on detention and deportation.
~ Conservative Zone
