The biggest news that gained the least amount of attention on Wednesday came from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ruled in favor of the Trump administration’s 2017 policy denying federal grants to state and local governments which violate federal law on immigration policy. Until now, due to activist lower court rulings, the funds continued to flow and it's only furthering the lawlessness of states and cities that engaged in the policy. With this new decision, should they decide to continue to violate U.S. immigration laws, there will be a very specific price tag attached to it. According to the current Center for Immigration Studies map, there are ten “Sanctuary States”.
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- Vermont
There are also dozens of “Sanctuary Cities” across the country, though most are operating within the sanctuary states. In Florida, in the wake of the passage of 2019’s “Sanctuary Cities” law enabling the state to act against any defiant local government and officials, only Alacuha County maintains Sanctuary status. Now that federal funds will finally be denied to state and local governments engaged in this lawlessness, it's time for the Florida model to be used nationally. It’s time for the federal government to prosecute public officials who violate the law. Immigration policy is the policy of the federal government alone. Any state or local government official who protects those who’ve chosen to break federal immigration law is engaged in aiding and abetting a federal crime. They should be prosecuted as such. It’s the only way to ensure the lawlessness ends. But the removal of federal funds is a huge first step.
Photo by: Joe Raedle/Getty Images