Washington state has become the latest victim of the sanctuary state phenomenon with a new policy that its supporters vow is one of, if not the, toughest in the country. An attorney with the San Francisco-based Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Lena Graber, said the bill would give “the strongest and most comprehensive state law on sanctuary in the country.”
Jay Inslee
Democratic governor Jay Inslee signed the new bill on May 21, adding stricter provisions than the previous 2017 policy, which many immigrant advocates felt didn’t go far enough in protecting illegal migrants. State and local law enforcement will be prohibited from questioning individuals about their immigration status except under rare circumstances – which is very similar to how it’s done in California. The change is significant because the 2017 policy only restricted state troopers from inquiring about citizenship. Most police interaction, according to Graber, happens on the city and county levels, and the majority of deportations result from local cooperation with the federal government.
Just as with most sanctuary policies, law enforcement is prohibited from aiding federal officers with any information or assistance regarding illegal immigrants. Local jails and state prisons do not have to alert officials when a migrant is released and are not allowed to comply with “immigration holds” requested by federal authorities.
Illegal Immigrants: Green Light Go
The Evergreen State has officially given the green light to immigrants, opening its doors wide to allow for illegals to flood the population. The only surprise here is that it took so long for the blue state to make such a policy. With a corrupt and extremely liberal Seattle city council influencing the state, obtaining sanctuary status was a given.
Seattle became a sanctuary city in 2003, before President Donald Trump took the oval office and the status became all the rage. And the Donald did not make many friends in the Evergreen state with his immigration crackdown.
Gov. Inslee, who incidentally has joined the ever-increasing pool of Democratic hopefuls for the 2020 presidential election, said: “Our state agencies are not immigration enforcement agencies. We will not be complicit in the Trump administration’s depraved efforts to break up hard-working immigrant and refugee families.”
As if that were the goal of immigration control. Promoters of sanctuary status argue that without such laws and policies, those here illegally are afraid to report crimes to law enforcement for fear of being deported. Others, such as Senator Lisa Wellman (D-WA) say migrants are needed for the economy, especially filling jobs in agriculture and hospitality sectors:
“We have 30% of Microsoft here on visas. You can’t open a hotel if you don’t have immigrants in back-of-house.”
Whoa, let’s back up a moment. Wellman is fighting for the rights of illegals yet refers to them as “back-of-house” employees? Where’s the outrage? Where’s the cries for impeachment? She also said that immigrants should not have to fear that police might demand their “papers” at any given moment. That’s like saying a thief shouldn’t have to worry about being frisked when going through security.
In April, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan took her quill and ink to write a letter in The Washington Post, attacking the president for promising to send illegal migrants to sanctuary cities:
“Contrary to what this President thinks, in Seattle, we have strong American values of inclusiveness and opportunity. Instead of threatening immigrant families and the cities that welcome them, this President should spend a little bit more time trying to learn from us.”
Yes, learn from the city whose officials think cleaning a sidewalk from human feces is racist. “It’s clear he [President Trump] hates the fact that the very cities he scorns are engines of innovation, opportunity and economic power. But we will not be deterred,” Durkan said. As far as opportunity is concerned, living in or near the city costs a fortune, crime is spiking, every time you turn around another tax is being levied, and officials are taking away more of the people’s Second Amendment rights. Is it any wonder there’s talk of making it the 51st state?
Durkan wrote:
“So if this President wants to send immigrants and refugees to Seattle and other welcoming cities, let me be clear: We will do what we have always done, and we will be stronger for it. And it will only strengthen our commitment to fighting for the dignity of every person. We will not allow any administration to use the power of America to destroy the promise of America.”
Too bad “fighting for the dignity of every person” didn’t include the legal citizens forced to deal with the consequences of open borders.
~
At Liberty Nation, we love to hear from our readers. Comment and join the conversation!
