Time to End Sanctuary Cities

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. Here is how the rest of the blogosphere sees it.

UPDATE:

Here is a copy of my email to Senator 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.