Cities that will not share information with immigration authorities are blatantly disrespecting the rule of law and jeopardizing public safety. This is according to Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, who says the latter is government’s most fundamental duty. Sessions spotlighted those cities that do give their cooperation to federal immigration authorities while visiting Miami yesterday, with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director, Thomas Homan.
Earlier this year the ‘sanctuary city’ policy of Miami-Dade County was reversed, and they promised to honor requests to keep people in custody for longer so that they could be picked up by federal immigration authorities. Local officials defended the decision on the grounds that they wanted to ensure the county would continue to receive community-policing grants from the Justice Department.
Both Sessions and President Donald Trump have threatened the funding for sanctuary cities, with the latter saying that the jurisdictions offer a haven for immigrant criminals. But the cities claim that their policies increase public safety. Sessions says that Miami-Dade County is proof that the US can do better and that ensuring the freedom and safety of the public is the single most fundamental duty of any government.
In the speech, Sessions also claimed that there has been a breakdown in respect for the rule of law. He pointed to Chicago, claiming that their ‘sanctuary’ policies offer just one sad example of how that has occurred in that city.