A Chance to End Sanctuary Cities
By mike volpe Posted in Immigration — Comments (13) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
A big hat tip goes to Numbers USA as well as the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Now, we must act and act quickly because time is running short. Senator David Vitter has proposed an amendment to end federal funding to ALL sanctuary cities. A sanctuary city, as we know, is a city in which the police are prohibited from asking for and identifying the immigration status of suspects and convicted criminals. Furthermore, they are prohibited from reporting illegal aliens to the Feds. My city, Chicago, is unfortunately one of those that is considered a sanctuary city.
Several high profile cases have put the topic of sanctuary cities in the spotlight. For instance in Virginia Beach 17 year old Allison Kunhardt and 16 year old Tessa Tanchant were killed when their car was struck by drunk driver Alfredo Ramos. Ramos was an illegal alien with multiple prior convictions for drunk driving. Had the Virginia Beach authorities reported him to I.C.E. after any of his prior arrests and convictions the two teenagers would still be alive.
In Newark, New Jersey college students, Terrance Aerial, Dashon Harvey and Iofemi Hightower were shot execution style by Jose Lachira Carranza. Carranza was out on bail awaiting trial on two separate felonies. He was also in this country illegally. Had the Newark authorities alerted I.C.E. Carranza could have been picked up and detained and the three college students would still be alive.
Look at what happens in Los Angeles
Some of the most violent criminals at large today are illegal aliens. Yet in cities where the crime these aliens commit is highest, the police cannot use the most obvious tool to apprehend them: their immigration status. In Los Angeles, for example, dozens of members of a ruthless Salvadoran prison gang have sneaked back into town after having been deported for such crimes as murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and drug trafficking. Police officers know who they are and know that their mere presence in the country is a felony. Yet should a cop arrest an illegal gangbanger for felonious reentry, it is he who will be treated as a criminal, for violating the LAPD’s rule against enforcing immigration law.
Unfortunately, unlike the amnesty bill of this past summer, talk radio has not been leading with this story. We only have a few days. Everyone needs to mobilize and make their voices heard. Here are the talking points as enumerated by Numbers USA
I am calling about H.R. 3093, the CJS spending bill.
I am urging a YES vote on Sen. Vitter's amendment to prohibit "COPS" money to cities that support sanctuary policies. (COPS is a federal grant program to state and local law enforcement agencies to advance community policing.)
THAT IS ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY AND THEN SAY 'THANK YOU.' OR YOU CAN CHOOSE TO PICK ONE TO THREE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS TO MENTION:
Only Senators who seek to protect illegal aliens and promote illegal immigration would vote against the Vitter amendment. I am counting on Sen. xmxmxmx to vote YES.
Sanctuary policies have been against federal law since the 1996 federal immigration law required local governments to cooperate with Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But many cities have refused to do so, adopting so-called "sanctuary policies." Unfortunately, the Clinton and Bush Justice Departments have refused to bring suit against these cities.
The Vitter amendment would seek to eliminate sanctuary policies in local municipalities, whereby law enforcement officials are barred from asking suspects about their immigration status or reporting them to Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The amendment would ensure that existing law is enforced uniformly across the country by withholding COPS federal funding for cities that choose to violate section 642(a) of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA).
It is highly unlikely that any sanctuary cities in our state will lose funding because nearly all of them will end up ending their sanctuary policies once they see they will lose federal funding by keeping them.
here is the link to find your Senator. Please post your emails to each Senator or if you made a phone call please let us know their responses.
I have said it multiple times. Redstate can be a debating society or meeting place for mobilization to make America better. This bill will make America better and so far there has been almost no response to my post. We all were up in arms during the amnesty debate and now there is a chance to pass a bill that will end sanctuary cities and no one cares. That is truly disappointing.
Here is a text of letter to Obama,
Senator Obama,
There is an amendment that may reach the floor of the Senate this week sponsored by Senator David Vitter. This amendment will end so called sanctuary cities. As you should know, Chicago, my fair city, is one of these sanctuary cities. That means criminals that are also here illegally are not reported by local law enforcement to ICE. This is unacceptable and dangerous. These criminals are not merely poor people looking for a better life, but rather murderers, rapists, drunk drivers, and thieves. They are not only criminals by nature, but they are not here in this country legally. This amendment would cut off all federal funding to any city that refuses to report
criminal illegals to the feds. This is proper because any city that refuses to follow our own federal laws does not deserve federal money.We can all differ on how to handle the 20 million illegals currently in this country,
however there should be no debate about what to do with illegals who are criminals outside of their status. These people absolutely must be rounded up and deported immediately after, of course, they serve their sentence for whatever crime they have committed.As you should know, tragic tales from such cities as Virginia Beach, Newark, and Los Angeles happen because criminal illegal aliens were not reported to federal authorities. Americans are dead because localities refused to do their part in fighting against illegal immigration.
Senator, your record on illegal immigration is spotty at best. This past summer you voted against an amendment that would bar criminals, gang members and terrorists from entering this country. Only you know why it is acceptable to you to allow these groups to enter this country. You also spoke in front of La Raza, an open borders group, and said you stood shoulder to shoulder with them at their demonstrations. It appears you have more sympathy for illegals than you have for the rule of law. That is unacceptable, and if you upset Hillary, that will haunt you unless of course you show a more firm stance for the rule of law and against law breaking, and you have that opportunity by voting for the Vitter Amendment. I hope you take it.
Mr. Potato Head, Mr. Potato Head, back doors are not secrets
hopefully everyone didn't just recommend the diary but also took a minute to contact your Senator and made your voice heard.
We are men of action, lies do not become us
My Senators, Cornyn and Hutchison, (or at least their offices) are well-versed on the opinions of one E Pluribus Unum, on all matters related to illegal immigration. Including sanctuary cities, of which we have our share along the Rio Grande.
Senators C & H are at least stating that they are virulently opposed to sanctuary cities. The Vitter amendment, and both their votes and their actions in relation to it, will test how deeply those convictions might be held. I'm expecting these are two Ayes.
To blave
It's war -- so when can we start shooting back at the enemy Democrats?
I see an awful lot of potential for Redstate and frankly the blogosphere in general however I think there is too much cynical "whoa is me, I can't believe how bad things are" when Redstate is the perfect place for ideas to be spawned and then also acted upon.
Look, it really does no good if someone alerts everyone else about the possibility of sanctuary cities being eliminated if all that happens is everyone sits on Redstate and talks about how great that would be. Unfortunately, that doesn't do anything to actually make it happen. We have a potential army on this site, and I just really hope we focus more and more on using it.
No call or email hurts and if you call your Senators and tell them you are behind them they will know the people are on this, and they will press harder. That is all I am saying. I think that we need to start training ourselves not merely to debate an issue but to also do our small parts in advancing each of them.
We are men of action, lies do not become us
Just an aside, it's woe is me, not whoa is me.
I've seen you remark on this several times in the last few days. I agree that there should be more action on the part of conservatives and/or republicans than there is. However, I think you go to far to suggest that the discussion at Redstate is totally without merit. People's minds are changed by what they read, perhaps their votes are as well.
Issues are debated that also may lead to votes. Voting is not a fruitless action.
Furthermore, we know from experience that there are those in positions of authority, those with power, and those with mega-pulpits who read this site. Read and are, perhaps, influenced by what they read.
I can appreciate the calls to action I've seen around here. But the increasingly disparaging commentary about, well, commentary, is a bit much. Sometimes talk is action.
absentee
I didn't phrase correctly. How about this? If someone sees that something is about to happen good or bad it isn't enough to only register your opinion at Redstate, but also to the people in power.
Also, if Redstate is to reach its full potential the people that contribute cannot be satisfied merely to come here to debate but to find topics and issues that they would not find elsewhere and play their part in helping to move them.
I will tell you this. This hit me when I Read the piece on the ridiculous resolution vis a vis the Ottoman empire. I was moved to put it on my blog and to email my congressman. That piece was extremely popular and had lots of comments. I Imagine if everyone did as me and then everyone that read each of our blogs. We would have taken an obscure issue and created critical mass nearly in real time. That is the potential of the blogosphere and I hope everyone keeps it in mind when I make these Observations.
We are men of action, lies do not become us
Incidentally, I did send emails to my Senators. I frequently do. I have so many letters from Elizabeth Dole's office I wonder if they don't keep a set of my address labels handy at all times.
absentee
"whoa" might have been a freudian slip that accurately reflects what some perceive to be our lack of action.
I have contacted my senators and included information about another person injured by an illegal who was previously detained but not asked about his immigration status until the accident. Sara Cole's story is on the web:
http://www.saracolefund.org/
Effectively.
Also, I want to give a belated ackbowledgement to E for the excellent Princess Bride reference.
We are men of action, lies do not become us
I am 99% sure every Democrat will vote against this. I am also sure that 10 Republicans will vote against it.
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Notice to All - I am an independent who has voted for Senator Bayh (Democrat) and Senator Lugar (Republican) along with over 60% of my state. You may take what I say with a grain of salt at your own party'
Sanctuary City solution. Order ICE/INS or any other enforcement agency that picks up illegals to drop off any illegal on the steps of city hall of the nearest sanctuary city. I'd like to see Gavin Newsome put up 50,000 new illegals in San Fran.
Ask not what I can do for my country, ask what my country can do for me. Washington Elected Elite
and put each Senator on record as either favoring American citizens or those who come here illegally. There is no excuse for sanctuary cities.