I don’t want to be gloating over New York City’s discomfort.
Wait!
I do want to gloat, because what I warned it against has come true.
New York Mayor Eric Adams reverses course on shelter (Photo: CNN)
Which is to say, its virtue-signaling and defiance-of-law status as a Sanctuary City would eventually bite it in the ass. I didn’t realize it would come so soon, nor did I realize the financial disaster would be the handiwork of a Democratic president, Joe Biden. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is left holding the bag, and the bag is drained.
In brief, Sanctuary Cities refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Some claim that obstinance does not violate U.S. law, but minister John Fife disagrees. He wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Smith: “The South-side United Presbyterian Church will publicly violate the Immigration and Nationality Act by allowing Sanctuary in its church for those from Central America.”
The idea of Sanctuary has heavy religious overtones and Scripture does talk about welcoming the stranger, but we are not a theocracy, we are a democracy. Congress writes laws and we are expected to obey them. Law is fundamental to democracy, and democracy can’t exist without law. If a law is unjust — and immigration law is not — democracy provides the means of adjusting it.
Sanctuary Cities have a couple of things in common — they are governed by Democrats, and they put sympathy for illegal migrants above the law.
Philadelphia is typical in that it claims to be a “welcoming” city, “welcoming” people here illegally. Politicians say the migrants mean no harm, but some do, such as members of the murderous M-13 gang, and other criminals.
To further shield illegals from the law, Philly prohibits schools, police, and hospitals from asking anyone’s status. (That also prevents an accurate count of just how many are here.) Philly hasn’t been hit hard yet, but Chicago and D.C. have, and each is squealing.
The noncooperation policy began under Mayor Michael Nutter who had crafted several compromises between Open Borders people and ICE, but the Open Borders people eventually beat him into submission. (On his last day in office, he reversed that Sanctuary policy, daring incoming Mayor Jim Kenney to reinstate it.)
He not only did that, but being progressively stuck on stupid, he actually refuses to alert Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the presence of convicted foreign felons in our midst. Other Sanctuary Cities have similar policies of noncooperation with federal authorities, which puts Americans at risk.
Why do I blame Biden for the current catastrophe?
Because President Donald J. Trump brought illegal immigration to the lowest level in decades, but Biden immediately reversed Trump’s policies — mostly out of stupid spite — and the illegal explosion began, practically straight up.
Joe Biden created the largest wave of illegals, ever
Liberal news sources were reluctant to report it, but when it became a crisis, it could not be ignored. (In recent weeks the explosion has slowed, because Biden has now adopted some of Trump’s tactics.)
But the slowing hasn’t helped New York much. New York City has cared for 61,000 migrants in the past year, the city said, and it has cost the city $10 billion. That’s the reality stick that smacked Mayor Eric Adams upside the head and led him to suspend the city’s “right to shelter” policy that requires asylum seekers be provided with private rooms.
You may have read midtown Manhattan is swarming with migrants, filling hotel rooms the city pays for, estimated at $300 or more a night. That comes to $8 million a day. And they keep coming, moans Adams, who tried to provide shelter for migrants in public schools until parents threw a snit fit.
See, it was easy to be “welcoming” when the cost was being borne by Texas and Arizona.
Adams is complaining that the feds ought to be paying the freight, and he’s right — since Biden caused the expense.
But that isn’t happening, although it might.
I can see where Biden would want to grab another trillion or so to pay for the people who are here illegally. He’s real big on spending your money for things you didn’t sign up for — like student debt.
To some, I sound heartless.
I prefer that to brainless. We are being played.
In the past decade, the illegals — who once sneaked across the border — discovered the asylum tactic. I don’t blame them for wanting to come here, but they must qualify for asylum status and the vast majority of them don’t, and they know it, as I have explained before. It is sad, but hunger, crime, and drought are not qualifications for asylum. The asylum seeker must prove persecution by the state on the grounds of religion, race, politics, or gender, to name a few.
It’s not just my analysis, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria has reported the same thing.
Asylum seekers are guaranteed a hearing to prove they qualify for asylum (which 90% of them will fail to do), but they know that a hearing might be a decade away because of the shortage of immigrant judges.
If allowed into the country, they can disappear and not show up for their hearing, or show up and claim they have put down roots, have given birth to American children, and should not be expelled. They are willing to roll the dice, and they will get plenty of help from Open Border nonprofits, and bleeding heart journalists.
Sanctuary Cities draw illegals like a Mister Softee chime draws children.
For the past 40 years, every American president — including Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — have condemned (even if using soft language) illegal immigration.
Except Joe Biden. He won ‘t say openly, but he’s happy with it — until it turns into bad PR.
He opened Pandora’s Box and now Sanctuary Cities like New York are paying the price.
I hope they all do, including Philadelphia.
Why?
The expense might force Democratic leaders into obeying the law.
Well done. Believe politicians have twisted the believe that we are our brothers keepers to pad the voting roles of the D party. Perhaps my math is not correct however if it is “New York City has cared for 61,000 migrants in the past year, the city said, and it has cost the city $10 billion.” …=$163,934 per “illegals”/migrants. Either a mistake somewhere, or illegals living well, or someone making a lot on them….or perhaps all of the above.
The figures were NYC’s, as reported by CBS. I suspect 2 things were mashed together — the cost last year, and cost over several years.
You point a finger at Biden because 1.6 million immigrants have entered the country.
Did you also condemn Ronald Reagan and George Bush? Based on the chart you provided above, they both allowed more than 1.6 million migrants into the U.S. on their watches.
I have no ability to influence the past, but I may influence the present.
If you look at the chart again, you will see illegals zoomed under Carter, then later dipped under Reagan.
Reagan railed mightily against illegals and got congress to promise to update immigration law in 1986, I believe. He gave amnesty to 3 million on the promise Dems would tighten immigration law. They didn’t.
Bush had been a Texas governor and was a “compassionate conservative.” Most of the gain was under Clinton, and under W — after 9/11 — the borders WERE closed.
There is a huge difference between an ILLEGAL immigrant, and a LEGAL immigrant. Presidents Reagan and Bush allowed LEGAL immigration, a pool from which many present-day Americans have arisen.
We’re not a theocracy yet, but keep on voting for lunatic fringe Trumpicans and the phony Freedom Caucus reps and we will be, with the help of Judges like Amy Coney Barrett, who is already breaking down the walls between church and state.
Dems didn’t ‘fix’ immigration and neither did repubs.
Neither side in Congress is animated to fix immigration, which needs enforcement of current laws more than “fixing.” The Dems subvert current law. Proof: Sanctuary Cities.
Congress has done nothing–as in zero, nada, zilch–in 40 years since Reagan. In truth, they are the only ones that can fix the problem. Everything else is a patchwork of laughable variations of responding to the laws that exist. Congress is the biggest joke in the US, and that shows as their ineptitude is the primary reason Fitch just downrated US Treasuries as an investment vehicle. Yes, I know I’m mixing topics here, which you typically don’t like, but it all comes down to the joke that is the US Congress.
You seem to forget that something happened between 2020 and 2023 that reduced immigration to the US: COVID.
The decline had nothing to to with Trump. The increase had nothing to do with Biden.
The policy maven thinks policy had no effect? Are you pretending to be Marx, oops, Marc?
Notice the great decrease under Obama a.k.a. “The Great Deporter.” Why? His policy.
The slide continued under Trump. Why? His policy. It exploded under Biden even WITH Covid, which started in 2020 and continued until May if this year, per the CDC. Why? During the campaign, the old fool said he would welcome “immigrants.” And we got them.
Oh! Obama in 2010: “And often this argument is framed in moral terms: ‘Why should we punish people who are just trying to earn a living? ‘ I recognize the sense of compassion that drives this argument,” but it is “both unwise and unfair
“It would suggest to those thinking about coming here illegally that there will be no repercussions for such a decision. And this could lead to a surge in more illegal immigration.
“And it would also ignore the millions of people around the world who are waiting in line to come here legally. “
If one illegal in 10,000 that have infiltrated the USA over the past 10 years is a terrorist, the USA is now awash in hidden terrorists. And one day in the not-too-distant future they will strike. My gut tells me it will be an attack in the top 25 cities in the USA– probably using germ warfare or small dirty bombs. Osama Bin Laden thought small — just the World Trade Center. The next well-planned attack with make the WTC attack look like a walk in the park.
My blood boils every time you talk about how illegal migration was “down” under Trump because of his policies but fail to mention his horrific inhumane policy of separating children, even infants, from their parents. Not only separated, but with absolutely no plan to reunite.
Your blood boils at any mention of Trump (not followed by GUILTY) because of TDS. The separation was an ugly, foolish policy, and so were the “prisons” and severe overcrowding, which now returned under Biden, but I don’t mention that either.
As you often do, deflect the SUBSTANCE of my comment and somehow put ME down. It really doesn’t matter if I have TDS. Your praise of Trumps policies indicate complicity. And to deflect further from this gross omission, you throw in something confusing about prisons. What prisons are you talking about being severly overcrowding? Prisons as in places where those convicted of a crime are sent or immigration detention centers? What has this got to do with PURPOSEFUL CRUEL and INHUMANE policies?
In Naomi World, Trump can do no right. In the real world, which is not black and white, he has made some good choices — Warp Speed, border policy, Space Force, modernized National Environmental Policy Act, etc.
Your usual comments have no substance but are tortured whataboutisms.
And I am NO friend of Trump as my many posts reveal. But I give credit where due, which you are incapable of doing.
I agree with everything you wrote. Great cities such as New York and San Francisco have become or on their way to being cesspools.
I admire your outspokenness. Always have and always will. I am not always agree with everything you say , but I admire you for having the guts to say what you actually think.
Agreement is appreciated, but not required. Speaking out is in my DNA.