For those who respect the rule of law and value America’s sovereignty, recent developments in California have been cause for dismay. The governor and several mayors there have thumbed their noses at our federal immigration laws, to the point where they are now actually tipping off illegal aliens about operations by federal immigration officers. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced a lawsuit against the state, but today’s judiciary has proven to be as infected with political partisanship as any other branch of government. It’s a frustrating mess.
Before you hurl a brick at your monitor or chuck your phone, there is good news. A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit strongly upheld Senate Bill 4, a law in Texas that requires all local police agencies in the state to honor immigration detainers issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and forbids cities, counties and local agencies from enacting or imposing non-cooperation or sanctuary policies.
Yes, America, sanity and state governments are not total strangers in some pockets of the country.
The Immigration Reform Law Institute submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Texas in the appeals court case for some very specific reasons. The Supremacy Clause of the constitution is under attack in this country. Grandstanding governors and mayors seeking to burnish their open borders credentials are treating federal law as if it were an a la carte restaurant menu. America suffered the bloodiest war in its history over this issue and, as Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently commented, the matter has been settled. States must comply with federal law and if they do not, what we have is not a country but a loosely-affiliated group of de facto nation-states who are free to deviate from whatever laws they wish. This cannot and must not continue.
While the media gives it minimal coverage, violent crimes committed by illegal aliens continue unabated. One of the fastest-growing groups in America today is “angel” parents: those whose children lost their lives at the hands of illegal aliens. It should be noted that not all people here illegally are violent criminals, but it doesn’t change the fact that more and more innocent people are being killed by those who have no right to be in the country. Such violent offenders do not discriminate between those here legally or illegally as their victims. Illegal aliens in sanctuary communities have just as much a chance, and arguably more of a chance, to be victims of criminal aliens as anyone else. How is that being compassionate to anyone?
Simple deductive reasoning tells us that sanctuary cities and states act as a magnet to illegal aliens who may be wanted for previous criminal behavior. When it is known that criminal behavior is tolerated or even facilitated in a certain place, criminal behavior is likely to occur in that place. Pro-sanctuary politicians may preen about how empathetic they are, but the plain truth is that their defiance of federal immigration laws makes their communities decidedly less safe, and almost certain to create more angel parents. Because of this, California’s future is not nearly as bright as its opportunistic leaders would have us believe. Given the divergent paths of Texas and California on sanctuary policy, which one is more likely to thrive? Which one would you and your family rather live in? The answer is clear.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbot and Attorney General Ken Paxton, among others, deserve credit for taking the road less traveled with a bold stand against California-style sanctuary anarchy. Those who follow the Texas example will create safer, more prosperous communities for native-born Americans and legal immigrants alike.
Brian Lonergan is director of communications at the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.