# What should happen to Democrat sanctuary cities? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 17, 2017, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031 "2017-02-17T09:21:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blinkyandpinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@Blinkyandpinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blinkyandpinky)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/1 "2017-02-17T09:21:52Z")
A showdown will soon be taking place between various illegal, Democrat run sanctuary cities VS the rule of law and the current administration. All funding should be pulled from such cities, and that will apparently be happening, but more must be done, as sanctuary cities can not be tolerated and they can no longer be allowed to exist. Should federal troops be sent in if they persist in ignoring the law and endangering the security of all US citizens and the entire country? Federal troops have been deployed before, notably during the civil rights movement, where Democrat segregationists like George Wallace were once again on the wrong side of history and humanity, much like today’s situation. Should the mayors in such cities be held liable and responsible for any and all crime committed by any illegal alien that the city has been illegally harboring? If necessary, force should be used to round up the illegals, if any city refuses to cooperate and comply with US laws. Anti-American renegade Democrat mayors do not get to pick and choose which laws they will follow and they will soon feel the full wrath of the federal govt coming down on them. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/2 "2017-02-17T09:24:35Z")
You don’t even know what the term “sanctuary city” means. This post is just a pile of silly straw men. ---
**Author:** ![Blinkyandpinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@Blinkyandpinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blinkyandpinky)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/3 "2017-02-17T09:33:47Z")
> [@naita](#): > > You don’t even know what the term “sanctuary city” means. This post is just a pile of silly straw men. In the United States and Canada, a sanctuary city is a municipality that has adopted a policy of protecting unauthorized immigrants by not prosecuting them for violating federal immigration laws and by ensuring that all residents have access to city services, regardless of immigration status. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/4 "2017-02-17T09:48:19Z")
endangering who? you know if certain bastards want to make this country great again open about 4 to 6 Ellis island stations in nyc Miami Texas sd la and frisco and make the words on the damn statue of liberty mean something other hypocrisy … other wise take it down for scrap then once labors cheap again they wont have to move the factories ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/5 "2017-02-17T09:51:45Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > In the United States and Canada, a sanctuary city is a municipality that has adopted a policy of protecting unauthorized immigrants by not prosecuting them for violating federal immigration laws and by ensuring that all residents have access to city services, regardless of immigration status. Since when has it been the job of local municipal authorities to prosecute federal law? That’s why we have federal law enforcement agencies and judges. If someone was being sought for say income tax evasion, that person wouldn’t be brought before their local magistrate by the county sheriff, they would be taken to federal court. How is this any different? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/6 "2017-02-17T10:02:11Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > In the United States and Canada, a sanctuary city is a municipality that has adopted a policy of protecting unauthorized immigrants by not prosecuting them for violating federal immigration laws and by ensuring that all residents have access to city services, regardless of immigration status. As FlikTheBlue has already pointed out, prosecuting violations of immigration law is a federal issue, so not a job of a city. Checking immigration status before supplying city services is not a sensible requirement either. Where is the “illegal harboring”? ---
**Author:** ![Blinkyandpinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@Blinkyandpinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blinkyandpinky)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/7 "2017-02-17T10:04:18Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > Since when has it been the job of local municipal authorities to prosecute federal law? That’s why we have federal law enforcement agencies and judges. If someone was being sought for say income tax evasion, that person wouldn’t be brought before their local magistrate by the county sheriff, they would be taken to federal court. How is this any different? There is a difference between that and refusing to cooperate with the federal govt, and deliberately shielding dangerous illegal criminal aliens from deportation. In New York City, the mayor Bill DeBlasio doesn’t even think that drunk driving committed by an illegal alien qualifies as a serious crime that merits deportation. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/8 "2017-02-17T11:16:09Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > There is a difference between that and refusing to cooperate with the federal govt, and deliberately shielding **dangerous illegal criminal aliens** from deportation. > > In New York City, the mayor Bill DeBlasio doesn’t even think that **drunk driving committed by an illegal alien qualifies as a serious crime that merits deportation**. My emphasis above. Also my post. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/9 "2017-02-17T11:48:38Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > There is a difference between that and refusing to cooperate with the federal govt, and deliberately shielding dangerous illegal criminal aliens from deportation. However, that’s not what SCs are about. > [@](#): > > In New York City, the mayor Bill DeBlasio doesn’t even think that drunk driving committed by an illegal alien qualifies as a serious crime that merits deportation. Perhaps I misunderstood your post. Are you equating DWI with terrorism? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/10 "2017-02-17T13:01:21Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > In the United States and Canada, a sanctuary city is a municipality that has adopted a policy of protecting unauthorized immigrants by not prosecuting them for violating federal immigration laws and by ensuring that all residents have access to city services, regardless of immigration status. Sorry, the definition of Sanctuary Cities is a bit unclear. Houston hasn’t been called one. But the HPD’s policy has never been to inquire about Immigration Status. They want everyone in the community feelingl free to come to them if they’ve been victims of a crime. Or if they are a witness. Once someone is going to trial, their status _may_ be relevant. But it’s not the job of the HPD or the Harris County Sheriff’s Dept to do _La Migra_’s work for them. We’re a big, prosperous, diverse city & we plan to stay that way. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/11 "2017-02-17T13:09:38Z")
This is the level of ignorance and stupidity that leads to Donald Trump becoming President. I find it fascinating that to people living in “Trump’s America”, the “problem” of illegal immigrants is so horrific that they are willing to suspend the Posse Comitatus Act, as well as who knows how many other laws, in order to essentially start a civil war by occupying the largest American cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., (which most of those people will never ever see anyway because they terrify them). ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/12 "2017-02-17T13:23:19Z")
The term “sanctuary cities” itself, is a political propaganda label. It is specifically designed to allow those who support the Federal Government being able to use State government to do it’s work for them, to keep costs down. Getting self-righteous in support of this purely political trick, is anti-Constitutional. It means you are OPPOSED to the rule of law. Not supporting it. And it means you support criminalizing the rule of law itself, if you want to jail those who refuse to cooperate with the Federal efforts to ignore the law. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/13 "2017-02-17T13:28:26Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > In the United States and Canada, a sanctuary city is a municipality that has adopted a policy of protecting unauthorized immigrants by not prosecuting them for violating federal immigration laws and by ensuring that all residents have access to city services, regardless of immigration status. A municipal government can’t prosecute people for violating immigration laws, nor can they deport anyone. You don’t seem to know much about the laws you’re claiming to be upset about. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/14 "2017-02-17T13:39:44Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > There is a difference between that and refusing to cooperate with the federal govt, and deliberately shielding dangerous illegal criminal aliens from deportation. > > In New York City, the mayor Bill DeBlasio doesn’t even think that drunk driving committed by an illegal alien qualifies as a serious crime that merits deportation. I can only speak to how this is manifest in Portland, Oregon … other cities may have different policies … When the Portland Police picks up a suspect, they check to see if any other jurisdiction has issued an arrest warrant … if there is none, and the suspect is cleared … then the suspect is released … alternately the local DA prosecutes and throws the now convicted felony into State Prison … there’s no part here were the criminal is just released … _La Megra_ wants the Portland Police to check immigration status on all these people, whether innocent or guilty of crimes … and then house the undocumented ones for days, weeks, months until _la Megra_ bothers to come around and do the actual deportation … all at City tax-payers’ expense … Portland jail is generally full, keeping someone who’s only crime is being in Portland without Federal permission means turning loose rapists, arsonists and murderers … that makes no sense … Should we require all US citizens carry their birth certificate and passport at all times to prove such citizenship … or should we tolerate spending a couple extra weeks in jail waiting for _la Megra_ to vet us even though local police have cleared us of all wrong-doing? … Portland is something of a special case … the State Taxes these undocumented workers pay is much more than the Federal dollars received by Portland … losing the Federal money will hurt but it won’t be a budget buster … so _sei la vie_ … throw us out of the Union if you don’t like it, we’d rather make our own trade deals with China anyway … ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/15 "2017-02-17T14:09:30Z")
> [@Blinkyandpinky](#): > > A showdown will soon be taking place between various illegal, Democrat run sanctuary cities VS the rule of law and the current administration. > > All funding should be pulled from such cities, and that will apparently be happening, but more must be done, as sanctuary cities can not be tolerated and they can no longer be allowed to exist. > > Should federal troops be sent in if they persist in ignoring the law and endangering the security of all US citizens and the entire country? Federal troops have been deployed before, notably during the civil rights movement, where Democrat segregationists like George Wallace were once again on the wrong side of history and humanity, much like today’s situation. > > Should the mayors in such cities be held liable and responsible for any and all crime committed by any illegal alien that the city has been illegally harboring? > > If necessary, force should be used to round up the illegals, if any city refuses to cooperate and comply with US laws. Anti-American renegade Democrat mayors do not get to pick and choose which laws they will follow and they will soon feel the full wrath of the federal govt coming down on them. So much information in such a confined space. Your bullshit compressor is a marvel of modern engineering. Sanctuary cities must not be allowed to exist? What are you going to do, saw them off and push them out to sea? Nuke them? “Democrat segregationists like George Wallace”? Yes, he was a Democrat. And yes, he was a segregationist. But he later recanted these views. More importantly, all the old Democratic segregationists from those days did one of two things: either they changed their views or they joined the Republicans, who were only too happy to bring all of the racists into their fold. Nowadays, not every Republican is racist but every racist is Republican. > [@](#): > > protecting unauthorized immigrants by not prosecuting them for violating federal immigration laws and by ensuring that all residents have access to city services, regardless of immigration status. Oh my God! Anything but that! They’re allowed to ride city buses? Surely we should have the bus drivers check for green cards for anyone with brown skin or who is overly swarthy. And they can drink water that was meant only for good white Americans? Will nobody rid us of these meddlesome immigrants? > [@](#): > > Anti-American renegade Democrat mayors do not get to pick and choose which laws they will follow and they will soon feel the full wrath of the federal govt coming down on them. But when Republicans announced they would not enforce any new gun regulations put out by Democrats, they were just being good old patriots, weren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/16 "2017-02-17T14:14:21Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Should we require all US citizens carry their birth certificate and passport at all times to prove such citizenship … or should we tolerate spending a couple extra weeks in jail waiting for _la Megra_ to vet us even though local police have cleared us of all wrong-doing? If you think that a birth certificate and/or US passport will cause the anti-immigration cabal to consider their targets as " real Americans", then you don’t know what’s really driving them. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/17 "2017-02-17T14:15:39Z")
They should secede and stop paying taxes. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/18 "2017-02-17T14:48:06Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Should we require all US citizens carry their birth certificate and passport at all times to prove such citizenship … A country where armed thugs get to ask minorities “Show me your papers” is the fantasy of most Trumpists. It’ll start with a “show me your papers” law, and eventually they’ll extend it past LEOs to allow armed civilians to demand papers from “suspected illegal immigrants,” by which they will mean “not white.” ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/19 "2017-02-17T15:21:52Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > They should secede and stop paying taxes. Sam Houston: > [@](#): > > I’ll tell you about Jeff Davis. Cold-blooded as a lizard, proud as Satan–what he touches will not prosper– We’re staying in the Union. (Are you from South Carolina? The state Houston called “the nursery of disunion.” ) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Sanchez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rick\_Sanchez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Sanchez)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031/20 "2017-02-17T15:25:46Z")
I’m not American, so forgive me if I’m missing some piece of common knowledge, but I’m struggling to understand what, in principle, is morally wrong with a political stance against these so-called ‘Sanctuary cities’ (p.s. - is Sanctuary cities the preferred nomenclature, or is it considered derogatory?). Immigrants sheltered by such cities are, purely by virtue of their presence, breaking the law and have no legal or moral right to remain in the country. If one considers illegal immigration detrimental to the economic or cultural health of a nation, it makes sense to crack down on them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-happen-to-democrat-sanctuary-cities/780031.md?page=2)