Seattle launched a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday, deriding the President’s executive order to defund ‘sanctuary cities’ as a form of unconstitutional federal coercion.
The mayor of Seattle, Ed Murray, told reporters the Constitution of the United States forbids Washington from putting pressure on cities.
“They cannot punish cities, and they cannot force our local police officials to be involved in federal immigration activities,” Murray said as the suit was announced.
“Sanctuary cities” are jurisdictions in which law enforcement personnel are ordered not to take an active role in rooting out illegal immigrants. Whether encoded in law or implicitly allowed, places like Seattle, WA, and Dayton, OH, enable unregistered aliens from overseas and abroad to take up residence and live without fear. Proponents of the practice claim that communities become safer and more prosperous when illegal immigrants can report crimes to the police and make use of social services without having to worry about deportation.
If Donald Trump’s executive order hits Seattle, the city would lose $55 million federal money earmarked for operating expenses, $99 million for construction and equipment costs, and an additional $2.6 million in police training and upkeep assistance.
One of the President’s arguments centered around a highly publicized murder that took place in Seattle nearly a decade ago. Rebecca Greigo had been a student at the University of Washington when she was murdered by a man who was wanted by immigration authorities and possessed an expired visa. Trump mentioned the case on the campaign trail, suggesting that Greigo’s death could have been prevented if cities like Seattle were more willing to comply with the dictates of the federal government.
KIRO 7-Seattle linked to a Pew Research Study which determined about 150,000 “unauthorized immigrants” live in the Seattle Metropolitan Area, which includes Tacoma, Bellevue, and a number of other cities and townships.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has backed the Trump administration’s order against sanctuary cities. On Monday, he threatened to cut Justice Department grants from jurisdictions unwilling to comply with the executive order.
Murray didn’t see how the federal grants were related to Seattle’s decision to remain a sanctuary city.
“Things like grants helping us with child sex trafficking are not connected to immigration,” he said. “It’s time for cities to stand up and ask the courts to put an end to the anxiety in our cities and the chaos in our system.”
Other sanctuary cities include the likes of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Dayton. Each city prohibits police officers from asking questions related to immigration status, unless they have probably cause to suspect that an individual they’re interacting with is in the United States illegally. The New York Times writes other protections include a refusal to detain persons warranted by federal agents for longer than requested.
Murray’s ultimate goal in pursuing legal action against the Trump administration is to have the courts determine that Washington, DC should have no say in forcing its law enforcement personnel to “be involved with federal immigration activities.”
Sources
Seattle Sues Trump Administration Over Threat to ‘Sanctuary’ Cities
Seattle sues Trump administration over threats against sanctuaries cities
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