Consider what he said in Miami, now that the city has given up its sanctuary jurisdiction status
(Miami Herald) Attorney General Jeff Sessions came to Miami on Wednesday to deliver a stark warning on the dangers of “criminal aliens†and praised the county’s mayor for being the first big-city leader to abandon “sanctuary†protections and detain local inmates for federal immigration officers.
“Sanctuary jurisdictions provide safe harbor for some of the most dangerous criminals in our country. That makes a sanctuary city a trafficker, smuggler, or a predator’s best friend,†Sessions said at PortMiami before an audience of local and federal law-enforcement authorities. “The people of Miami-Dade know that the rule of law guarantees equality and opportunity … Protecting this guarantee is why the government of Miami-Dade made its decision — and is working with federal law enforcement, not against us.â€
Now about Chicago in the same speech (which is only mentioned near the end of the above article)
Sessions used much of his speech to contrast Miami’s declining crime rate with a spate of murders in Chicago, which is suing the Trump administration over its own sanctuary policies. Chicago and other cities claim the White House can’t withhold federal funds based on declining the detention requests, which hold people after they would otherwise be free to go on local charges.
“In Chicago — a city with almost exactly the same 2.7 million person population as Miami-Dade — more than 433 people have been murdered just since the beginning of the year … That’s more than three times as many as Miami-Dade,†Sessions said. “Respect for the rule of law has broken down. In Chicago, their so-called “sanctuary†policies are just one sad example.â€
And more
(Time) Attorney General Jeff Sessions continued his condemnation of Chicago’s sanctuary policies, which limit interactions between the local government and immigration authorities, saying they amount to “lawlessness” and put citizens lives in danger in a Wednesday afternoon speech.
“These policies of sanctuary cities do far broader damage to the country than many understand. At its root, it is a rejection of our immigration laws and a declaration of open borders,” Sessions said. ” It says if you enter the country last week with a criminal record and get to Chicago, we will not even support deporting you even after you commit a serious crime against one of our citizens. This is lawlessness.”
It is lawlessness. It is prioritizing people who are unlawfully present in the country, in contradiction of federal law, over U.S. citizens and those who are lawfully present. Chicago isn’t just protecting those “with no criminal records”, but those with criminal records. Serious criminal records. Rape, assault, robbery, burglary, theft, arson, attempted murder, and murder, among others.
One of the reasons given for Miami being a sanctuary jurisdiction was that they wanted to be reimbursed by Washington for the costs to hold an illegal on a detainer for that 48 hour hold. Actually, that is not unreasonable, and should be considered. The cost surely isn’t that much, and would be worth looking into, just like it would be worth it to make detainers into actual federal warrants, which require compliance by all law enforcement.
