Cities across the country and California in particularly struck another tone of defiance Wednesday following President Trump’s signing of an executive order that threatens to cut off federal funding for so-called “sanctuary cities.” From Los Angeles to Chicago and New York, city and state leaders vowed to keep their communities a safe harbor for immigrants in the country illegally, no matter the cost.
"Cutting off funds for cities that refuse destructive deportation programs is unconstitutional. See you in court," California State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León tweeted. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also signaled a coming legal fight, saying such actions would violate the 10th amendment. Ed Lee of San Francisco and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) were just some of the other leaders speaking out against Trump’s actions Wednesday.
But not everyone in the Golden State is interested in sticking it to the president. Fresno Mayor Lee Brand said his city has no interest in jumping on the sanctuary city bandwagon.
“I’m not going to make Fresno a sanctuary city because I don’t want to make Fresno ineligible from receiving potentially millions of dollars in infrastructure and other types of projects,” Brand told the Fresno Bee. “My philosophy is to follow the law and to avoid these national culture-war questions.”
Talk about a novel thought.
The latest executive orders do several things. In addition to the sanctuary cities guidelines, they also call for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border (at U.S. taxpayer expense, by the way); the hiring of more border patrol agents; the end of so-called “catch and release”; the revival of the “secure communities” program; the creation of an “Office for Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens”; and the publication of a weekly report on crimes committed by illegal immigrants.
It’s getting real, folks.