Justice Department Decides not to Sue Sanctuary Cities
The Justice Department unleashed their assault on Arizona's immigration enforcement law last week, but yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department announced that cities that protect illegal aliens from law enforcement officials, otherwise known as sanctuary cities, would be safe from federal prosecutors.
"There is a big difference between a state or locality saying they are not going to use their resources to enforce a federal law, as so-called sanctuary cities have done, and a state passing its own immigration policy that actively interferes with federal law," Tracy Schmaler, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., told The Washington Times. "That's what Arizona did in this case."
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who also serves as the Ranking Member on the House Judiciary Committee that oversees Immigration, wrote the legislation in 1996 that started the 287(g) program. The program teams local law enforcement officials with federal immigration agents in the enforcement of immigration laws. Law enforcement in sanctuary cities are directed to not cooperate with federal officials.
"For the Justice Department to suggest that they won't take action against those who passively violate the law who fail to comply with the law is absurd," said Rep. Lamar Smith. "Will they ignore individuals who fail to pay taxes? Will they ignore banking laws that require disclosure of transactions over $10,000? Of course not."
Arizona's law, which goes into effect on July 29 unless the courts block it, prevents sanctuary cities by allowing citizens to sue their municipalities if officials order local law enforcement to refuse to cooperate with federal agents.
"President Obama's administration has chosen to sue Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law and not sue local governments that have adopted a patchwork of 'sanctuary' policies that directly violate federal law. These patchwork local 'sanctuary' policies instruct the police not to cooperate with federal immigration officials," Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said in a statement.
For more information, see the Washington Times.