The federal Department of Justice announced last week that it would cease funding grants to the Chicago Police Department. This is due to the CPD’s lack of cooperation with federal immigration officials.
Chicago has refused to offer information to federal officials on the whereabouts of immigrants within the city whose visas have expired or who have entered the country illegally, making Chicago one of many sanctuary cities in the United States.
Although a sanctuary city is not an official legal term, it is often used in political scenes to describe a city that acts as a safe zone for undocumented immigrants.
It is the job of the federal DOJ to handle all cases of immigration into the states; however, without the cooperation of state and local governments, the job becomes nearly impossible.
Legal immigration has the ability to enhance communities through diversity and a strong labor force, but all that the city of Chicago and fellow sanctuary cities are doing is making the path to legal citizenship more difficult. The federal government will be less likely to welcome expanded legal immigration if it has an illegal immigration crisis on its hands.
Local governments need to help federal agencies promote the welfare of the nation as a whole.
Statistics compiled by Fox News from local, state and federal agencies have shown that undocumented immigrants are three times as likely to be convicted of murder than the general population.
This goes to show the problem with immigrating to the U.S. illegally lies heavily on security, not only some hypothetical detriment to the economy.
This goes to show that the problem with immigrating to the U.S. illegally lies heavily on security, not only some hypothetical detriment to the economy.
With this, the solution can only be to distinguish between the dangerous and the not-dangerous, which can only be achieved by a unified, nationwide system that properly identifies all foreign persons living in the U.S. who have not obtained citizenship.
This is why it is imperative that all state and local officials abide by federal laws and aid in enforcing them.
The question of whether or not it is legal for the federal DOJ to restrict funds from local and state law enforcement offices does arise, and the answer varies. In the heightened state of protection that the U.S. formed following World War II and 9/11, Congress developed the ability to use its power of the purse to maintain nationwide security.
Additionally, federal laws are superior in all areas that are predominantly federal, and the case of immigration is incontestably federal. It is incredibly vital that all cities cooperate with the federal government to promote the common welfare and security of the nation.
Although Indiana only has one recognized sanctuary city – West Lafayette – this is not to say others will not form and cause issues of safety within our hometowns.
It is important that all citizens in all cities are adamant about repealing and preventing sanctuary policies by voicing discontent to their local representatives.
This will prevent other cities from suffering Chicago’s fate: losing much-needed funding from federal law enforcement grants.
