Fri. Dec 6th, 2024

Democratic-controlled cities are finalizing plans to oppose mass deportation

By 37ci3 Nov28,2024


LOS ANGELES – The resistance he promised blue state governors After the election of Donald Trump, city leaders, advocacy groups and the nation’s second-largest school district launched efforts to oppose mass deportations.

The cities of Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia have vowed to protect people living in the United States without permission from what the incoming Trump administration says will be the largest deportation effort in history.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has declared itself a sanctuary for migrants, and the ACLU of Southern California filed a lawsuit this month against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, demanding details of how the incoming administration plans to handle the gatherings.

Local officials acknowledge that the ordinances and proclamations cannot stop deportations, but they say the tactic can pool efforts and slow enforcement on the ground.

“People’s fear is incredibly high,” said Philadelphia Councilwoman Rue Landau. “They are preparing for the worst and it is up to us as local leaders to show the strength of our cities.”

Activists with signs.
Local officials acknowledge that ordinances and proclamations cannot stop deportations, but they say the tactic can conflate efforts and slow enforcement.Etienne Laurent / AFP – Getty Images

The incoming president said he had “no choice” but to deport people living in the country illegally. NBC News “No price tag” for getting the job done.

A spokesman for the incoming Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment.

Opponents of mass deportations say it would tear families apart and make communities less safe, as unauthorized residents stop reporting crimes and sharing information with police for fear of deportation. Critics also say it is inhumane to send people back to countries they fled because of gang violence, drug cartels and extreme poverty.

“Sanctuary cities are not just a legal framework,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Curren D. Price Jr. recently. “They represent a moral obligation to protect human dignity, protect families, and ensure that everyone can live without fear, regardless of immigration status.”

Proponents argue that illegal immigration contributes to crime, keeps wages low and robs US citizens of jobs. Border hawk Tom Homan, who served as deputy director of ICE in Trump’s first term, said the president-elect has a “mandate from the American people” to secure the border and crack down on illegal immigration.

Homan also warned against attempts to obstruct enforcement Fox News Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was ready to arrest Johnston after he said he would risk jail for resisting Trump’s plan and encouraged people to protest in their communities.

“We’re not waiting for January,” Homan said Tuesday while walking across the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, referring to when Trump takes office. “We’re already talking. We’re already planning. We’re going to execute the plan and provide for this nation at the highest level ever seen.”

“Frankly, there will be a mass deportation,” he added.

Johnston’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump is expected to sign five executive orders after he is sworn in on Jan. 20, he is looking into immigration and is considering withholding federal police grants from law enforcement agencies that refuse to help with deportations.

Hiroshi Motomura, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA, said he pursued a similar strategy in his first term, but faced significant legal hurdles and may face them again.

In 2018, the Trump administration attempted to withhold federal grants from cities that adopted sanctuary policies. Several of these cities sued the Justice Department and won their challenges in federal court.

Migrants rest on the floor.
Migrants in the lobby of a Chicago police station in 2023.Scott Olson/Getty Images file

“Cases have clearly shown that there are limits to the federal government’s power to order state and local governments to do things,” Motomura said.

Shortly after the Nov. 5 election, California Governor Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session aimed at protecting progressive policies, declaring that the state would “Trump-proof” the incoming administration. Those sessions begin in December.

A week after his announcement, the city of Los Angeles passed a law barring the use of its resources, including city employees and the police department, to enforce federal immigration enforcement.

According to the nonpartisan think tank the Migration Policy Institute (Migration Policy Institute), about 951,000 of Los Angeles County’s 10 million residents are estimated to be living in the United States without permission.

This month, the Los Angeles school district declared itself a sanctuary for immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, passed resolutions certifying schools as safe havens from immigration enforcement and preventing employees from voluntarily sharing the immigration status of students and their families with federal agents.

The LGBTQ+ resolution updates the district’s policy and “respects all persons to include gender identity and gender expression.”

About 30,000 of the 400,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are thought to be in the country without legal documentation, according to the Los Angeles United Teachers Union.

Migrants on the bus.
About 47,000 people live in Philadelphia without legal authorization.Ryan Collerd/AFP via Getty Images file

This was announced by the mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu WCVB he will defend undocumented immigrants “in every way.” Similarly, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said MSNBC he said he would use “every tool in his toolbox” to “protect our residents” and “hold the line on democracy and the rule of law.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the city “will not bend or break” on tough immigration policies.

He told reporters after the election: “Our values ​​will remain strong and solid.” “We will face likely obstacles in our work over the next four years, but we will not be deterred and we certainly will not turn back.”

About 257,000 residents in Chicago are undocumented; in Boston, about 173,000; And in Philadelphia, it’s about 47,000.

During Trump’s first term, his administration deported approximately 1.4 million people. According to the Migration Policy Institute, President Joe Biden is on track to deport about 1.6 million people before his term ends. About 3 million people were deported under former President Barack Obama.

Trump has deported fewer people than either Democratic president, in part because sanctuary policies adopted by left-leaning cities and states prevent law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration agents, who often need local information and access to make arrests and detentions. it happened

Naureen Shah, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Division of Government Affairs, Equality, said organizations like hers learned valuable lessons during the first Trump administration and intend to frustrate the new White House at every turn.

“We can slow them down, prevent them from moving at the scale they want to move,” he said. “We can demoralize them and stop their momentum.”



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By 37ci3

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