Sanctuary city debate: Tragedies happen when Democratic mayors, governors favor agendas over safety

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Justice Department threatens funding to sanctuary cities

Fox News contributor Steve Cortes offers insight

Over a half century ago, Democratic Governor George Wallace stood with state troopers barring the door to the University of Alabama, preventing black students from registering for classes there. Wallace relented only when President Kennedy threatened to call up the National Guard to defend the rights of the students.

Nine years earlier, President Eisenhower actually had to federalize the Arkansas Guard in order to protect the rights of first American citizens of color enrolled at Little Rock High School, against the intransigence of Democratic Governor Orval Faubus.

Sadly, this reprehensible tradition of Democratic governors and mayors continues to this day as the defenders of the so-called “Sanctuary City” movement evoke the ghost of Wallace and defy federal protections of our citizens in pursuit of their own narrow political agenda.

Portland, Oregon willfully ignored an ICE detainer for a known criminal illegal alien Sergio Martinez who’d been deported an almost unbelievable 20 times previously.  Instead of a new deportation, he was released into the community and was recently arrested for the brutal rape of a 65 year old woman there in her own home.

The anguish and pain that innocent woman endured lies squarely upon the liberal leaders of Portland who proved more concerned with political correctness than the protection of citizens, which should always be the bedrock foundation of government.

Supporters of Sanctuary Cities argue that aggressive deportations of dangerous illegal immigrants represents a racist policy. In fact, the opposite is true. Often the very victims of criminal illegals are themselves minorities, whether legal immigrants or native born citizens.

For example, in Louisville, an 8-time deported illegal alien named Miguel Villasenor-Saucedo killed a legal Hispanic immigrant from Cuba.

Similarly, in Los Angeles 5-time deported Estuardo Alvarado killed a young mother Sandra Duran, a Latina and American citizen.  Her fiancé Rodrigo Macias correctly warned the U.S. that the assailant “had no right to be here…if this were not a sanctuary city, this would not have happened.”

The real prejudice here lies in mayors like Rahm Emanuel, Bill de Blasio, and Eric Garcetti who place their personal agendas before the security of the very citizens they are supposed to serve, in direct contravention of clear federal statutes designed to protect our country from dangerous predators.

As an Hispanic and the son of a legal immigrant, I find their obstinacy insulting.

Despite the awful news regarding Sanctuary Cities, there’s also wonderful news thanks to leadership of President Trump, whom I call “President Promise Keeper,” as illegal crossings have fallen over 70 percent year over year.

Once the border is fully secured and deportation of dangerous illegals accelerates, then we can finally address the pressing need for comprehensive immigration reform.

I believe some sort of status, though not citizenship, should be afforded to long-term, non-dangerous illegal immigrants. Many within Team Trump disagree with me on that issue. But we can only have that debate once we’ve proven to the people that our immigration system is under control and puts the well-being of American citizens first.

So while Democratic mayors and governors perpetuate the sad tradition of George Wallace, we see another path – one of safety, respect for legal immigrants, and sensible economic and national security.