Mayors of ‘sanctuary cities’ in US pledge ‘independence’ as they vow to fight Trump’s plans for mass deportations
DEMOCRATIC mayors in major US cities have pledged to protect their residents from Donald Trump’s controversial deportation plans.
They have vowed to defy the President-elect even though he's threatened to withhold millions in taxpayer money if they do not co-operate.
Trump has vowed to kick millions of migrants out of the US - including three million to Mexico alone.
But his plans have not been welcomed across many multi-cultural cities in the States - with some saying they will act independently on the issue of immigration.
New York City’s Bill de Blasio, Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel and Seattle’s Ed Murray are among those in “sanctuary cities” that have tried to soothe those worried about Trump’s hardline agenda.
“Seattle has always been a welcoming city,” Murray said Monday. “The last thing I want is for us to start turning on our neighbours.”
Bill de Blasio has also taken a stand against hate speech and racist attacks in New York, telling concerned New Yorkers “we will stand up for you.”
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told the Los Angeles Times that he’s committed to a longtime policy of staying out of immigration issues.
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Mayor Eric Garcetti has backed that up but stopped short of calling LA a sanctuary city because the term is “ill-defined.”
But Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel vowed Chicago “is and will remain a Sanctuary City.”
“We have always welcomed people of all faiths and backgrounds, and while the administration will change, our values and our commitment to inclusion will not.”
During the campaign, Trump gave an immigration speech in which he promised to “end the sanctuary cities” and said those “that refuse to co-operate with federal authorities will not receive taxpayer dollars.”
He blamed such policies for “so many needless deaths” caused by people who should have been kicked out of the USA.
In a TV interview on Monday, he said his administration’s priority will be deporting criminals and securing the border.
But, on the quiet, law enforcement officers admit they are not sure how they will be able to enforce his policies.
It’s also unclear what money Trump might pull from the cities.
For Congress to impose conditions on federal money heading to the states, the conditions must be reasonably related to the funding’s purpose, the US Supreme Court has said.
About 300 jurisdictions nationwide have sanctuary-like policies, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, which calls for lower immigration levels.
“The result is people who should be deported, who have come to the attention of police because of crime, are released back into the community,” said Jessica Vaughan, the group’s director of policy studies.
A prime example for supporters of a crackdown on sanctuary cities is the fatal shooting of Kate Steinle last year on a San Francisco pier.
A man who had been previously deported and who was released by local law enforcement was charged in her death.
Pro-immigration advocates say they are worried that Trump’s plans will wind up deporting more than violent criminals and they are gearing up for a fight.
“These cities have reaffirmed they’re going to respect the dignity of all their residents,” said Matt Adams, legal director at the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
“What they’re saying is, ‘We’re not going to use our resources to separate families, to deport children, to tear communities apart."’
Earlier this week, we told how some renegade states were planning to pull off their own Brexit and ditch the US for Canada.