Confronting Deliberate Lawlessness
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, November 13, 2015 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Congress is trying to pass legislation to punish jurisdictions that refuse to enforce federal immigration laws, but so far, they have not been successful. That leaves states in a dilemma about what to do when local jurisdictions openly defy laws and deliberately protect criminal illegal aliens from federal arrest and deportation.
Certainly, everyone should obey the law and, if a law is wrong, there’s a proper way to change it. But, what will be done about those giving sanctuary to illegal aliens who commit crimes, are arrested locally, and then, released by officials that don’t agree with the law?
In an October issue of USA Today, Republican Representative George Cleveland of North Carolina explained the situation this way, “Everyone says, ‘It’s a federal government problem.’ No it isn’t. The federal government is not doing its job, so it’s our problem.”So, the question becomes, why isn’t the federal government doing its job? Representative Cleveland had this answer, “We’ve become so multiculturalist that we don’t have the common sense to see that we’re ruining our country. Instead, we let cities pat [undocumented aliens] on the back and here we are.”
His reference to cities means he knows about the 340 jurisdictions in the United States that defy immigration laws and give sanctuary to illegal aliens, including those that commit crimes in this country and are deported, then cross the border again, and are welcomed back into the sanctuary community, where they are never reported to federal immigration officials.
At least three states have introduced legislation to penalize locations that give sanctuary to illegals. Michigan’s Republican state Senator Mike Kowall filed a bill prohibiting any government agency in the state from enacting sanctuary policies, and it’s moving through the Michigan legislature. He says he has enough support to pass it. Texas Republican Senator Charles Perry placed a similar bill on the agenda for the next session in Texas.
Georgia should follow last month’s action in North Carolina, where Governor Pat McCrory signed into law H.B. 318 that (a) bans any policy that interferes with the enforcement of federal immigration laws, and (b) requires public contractors to clear applicant citizenship through E-Verify to prevent hiring illegal aliens. Legislation to eliminate sanctuary jurisdictions and prohibit employment of illegal aliens should be introduced and passed in Georgia’s 2016 session. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.