This doesn't seem to me, to be an "either or" situation. In some cases, as in the economy, illegal workers contribute to the GNP. On the other hand, they are undermining law and order when they aren't arrested for being in this country illegally. When it is discovered that a person is in this country illegally, they should be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. They should be ajudicated and the courts should decide the consequences. However, this is not the case. In many cities, such as Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, NYC, amoung others, the police are instructed to not arrest and detain someone in this country illegally. This preempts the courts and the rule of law. This is a clear violation of the law and the ramifications are such that, the law is applied on a discriminatory basis.
FOXNews.com - U.S. Cities Provide Sanctuary to Illegals - Blog | Blogs | Popular Blogs | Video Blogs Quote:
Any immigration lawyer who has been practicing long enough will tell you that people who are in the U.S. with no legal immigration status know the locales where they are least likely to be apprehended by immigration authorities and where they can resort to public services without fear of being found out.
Since 1996, it has been illegal for states and municipalities to take any action that prevents the reporting of illegal immigrants to federal immigration authorities. On July 23, the New York Times (search) ran a 1355-word article (which used the term "illegal alien" exactly four times) on New York City's response to a recent Federal Court ruling that compels the city to change a policy it has had for more than a decade. That policy prevented city agencies from reporting illegal aliens (search) to federal immigration authorities.
But rather than do what the court has stated he must, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (search) has developed a new policy -- city agencies now won't inquire as to a person's immigration status except in the most extraordinary circumstances. The goal is for the city to have nothing to report.
If mayors whose cities employ sanctuary policies are truly concerned with exposure to lawsuits, they might reconsider their sanctuary policies and do what the law requires: report illegal aliens to federal immigration authorities.
The days of the sanctuary policy might be numbered. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo. (search), has offered an amendment to two appropriations bills that would bar federal funding to states and localities that restrict any government agency from sending information to, or receiving information from, federal immigration authorities regarding an individual's citizenship or immigration status.
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I, as a citizen, can be arrested on a misdemeanor charge of, lets say, possession of marajuana, and I will be ajudicated in the courts of law, but the illegal immigrant will not be arrested and ajudicated on the misdemeanor charge of being in this country illegally. Where is the justice in this? They are both misdemeanors, are they not? This is something that hardly outweighs any benefit to the economy.
Furthermore, there are more serious ramifications as pointed out in this link:
The Social Contract Press - Sanctuary Cities and States -- Undermining the American Republic Quote:
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Entry into the United States without inspection is a misdemeanor; but harboring, shielding, or concealing illegal aliens is a felony (Immigration and Nationality Act). Federal, state, and local officials may not restrict the sending to or receiving from the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual (Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act; Welfare Reform Act). Thus those entering the United States illegally can be charged with a federal misdemeanor, but aiding and abetting illegal aliens within the United States is a far more serious charge – a federal felony. What about the new immigrant sanctuary cities and states popping up across the nation? They are in statutory violation of U.S. immigration laws. By their defiance of U.S. laws, these sanctuaries or “civil liberties safe zones,” as some call themselves, are undermining the American Republic
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The standard of the law must be applied equally no matter what the consequences, or the law should be changed to accomodate the reality of the situation. One can't have it both ways.