The illegals’ bill is busting the bank in New York City

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.