08/11/2023
Sanctuary jurisdictions are in dire straits. They’ve advertised themselves as destination spots for illegals for years. But now, with Biden’s Great Replacement illegal aliens heading in record numbers for the places that supposedly want them, sanctuaries are paying a steep price. They’re running out of shelter space and funds to pay for the foreign parasites. No longer are “illegals welcome.” Sanctuaries are declaring states of emergency and begging the penniless “migrants” to go elsewhere. Coincidentally, Leftist cities feel the pain from their soft-on-crime policies and plead for outside help. Will the cities finally learn from the result of their communist policies, or double-down on the madness?
New York City has been a leader in the sanctuary city movement. The city strongly fought for its right to protect illegals. Six years ago, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio lashed out at President Donald Trump’s attempts to defund sanctuary cities, saying it was a threat to “our character and our values.” “We will not deport law-abiding New Yorkers,” de Blasio fumed in 2017. “We will not tear families apart,” he said of the border jumping “New Yorkers” [De Blasio, flanked by city officials, threatens suit over Trump’s sanctuary cities order, by Laura Nahmias, Politico, January 25, 2017]. The city celebrated when President Biden lifted Trump’s restrictions on funds for sanctuary cities in 2021.
Said de Blasio:
New York City is proud to be a welcoming and inclusive city for immigrants. We are thrilled by the news that the Department of Justice has recognized that anti-immigrant policies do not make our communities safer.
[Mayor de Blasio and Officials Applaud the Department of Justice for Ending Grant Limitations on “Sanctuary Cities,” NYC.gov, April 29, 2021]
🗽New York City will continue to do more than any other city or level of government in the nation to accommodate asylum seekers.
Because that’s who we are: A city of empathy, of compassion, & care. For updated info on services for #AsylumSeekers visit, https://t.co/5g5CiEE9YZ. pic.twitter.com/YoHLdM5FZF
— NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (@NYCImmigrants) August 10, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams at first welcomed illegals when they started pouring into the city last year [NYC Mayor Eric Adams welcomes asylum seekers bused from Texas, NBC, August 7, 2022]. Then reality struck. They kept coming from buses sent by Texas and on their own. Now Adams sings a different tune. No longer is New York City welcoming “migrants.” The city has no more room for migrants, he says, and he has begged for the federal government to intervene. He began sending illegals to the rest of New York and even to Canada [‘We have no more room,’ NYC mayor Eric Adams warns migrants, by Madeline Halpert, BBC, July 20, 2023].
Nearly 100,000 aliens have arrived since 2022. Adams claims the invasion will cost $12 billion. “The immigration system in this nation is broken; it has been broken for decades,” the mayor asserted. He wants Biden to declare a state of emergency and give the city more money. He also wants the feds to give work permits to the illegals. Adams believes that will encourage them to leave city shelters, but it would really ensure they stay in America permanently [NYC mayor puts $12 billion cost on migrant crisis, blames ‘broken’ national immigration system, by Emily Ngo, Politico, August 9, 2023]. A much better solution is deporting them, but Adams won’t suggest that. At least he blames Biden and urges Democrats to help secure the border. These shouldn’t be exceptional stances, yet they are in Adams’ party [Democratic mayor becomes unlikely GOP ally in battle over Southern border, by Julia Marsh and Joe Anuta, Politico, April 29, 2023].
The entire state of New York is paying the price. The state government is planning to spend millions on “migrant” services [NY House Republicans slam $2B ‘no-bid’ migrant contracts issued by Hochul, Adams, by Carl Campanile, New York Post, August 9, 2023]. Gov. Kathy Hochul is fighting to stop the state from being required to house illegals because of a decades-old right-to-shelter consent decree, which requires the city to provide lodging to anyone who needs it. A state supreme court judge is “pushing the state government to take more responsibility in helping the city,” but Hochul argues that the consent decree doesn’t apply to New York as a whole. That’s caused a rift with communist Attorney General Letitia James, who refuses to represent the state in court over the matter [New York’s Attorney General Breaks With Gov. Hochul Over Migrant Crisis, by Nicholas Fandos and Dana Rubinstein, New York Times, August 10, 2023].
And New York isn’t alone. Massachusetts declared a state of emergency this week. More than 20,000 “migrants” are in the sanctuary state’s shelters. “It’s exponentially more than our state has ever served in our emergency assistance program,” Democrat Gov. Maura Healy said. “These numbers are being driven by a surge in new arrivals in our country who have been through some of the hardest journeys imaginable.” The state of emergency delivers more funds to resettling the illegals. Even though the state shoulders the burden of open borders, it’s not urging the federal government to stop the invasion. Like Adams, Healy wants the feds to make it easier for illegals to work in America [Massachusetts governor declares state of emergency amid influx of migrants seeking shelter, Associated Press, August 9, 2023].
The Bay State is even urging residents to take in the migrants. “If you have an extra room or suite in your home, please consider hosting a family. Housing and shelter is our most pressing need and become a sponsor family,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll pleaded this week. Citizens get the raw end of open border policies [Massachusetts officials ask residents to lend a ’helping hand’ and offer migrants ’an extra room,’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, August 9, 2023].
Washington, D.C. was another of the top destinations for border states to send illegals. The city and the Biden administration laughed at the first busloads. Then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki snidely thanked Texas for sending them. The tone changed dramatically in just a few short months. By the summer of 2022, Mayor Muriel Bowser was whining for the National Guard to rescue the city, and in September, she declared a state of emergency [DC mayor declares public emergency over migrant arrivals from Arizona and Texas, by Sonnet Swire, Priscilla Alvarez and Paul LeBlanc, CNN, September 9, 2022].
The city is still dealing with the deluge of illegals, who might be contributing to the District’s horrible crime wave. Some local leaders want the National Guard to help stop crime. Of course, the crime problem, like the city’s migrant woes, was caused by Leftist policies: defunding police in a sanctuary city. D.C.’s largely black leadership doesn’t think change is needed [DC Council Member Calls for National Guard’s Help as City Grapples With Escalating Violence, by Stephanie Ramirez, Fox 5 DC, August 8, 2023].
Chicago also welcomes “migrants.” Then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot proudly boasted that the Windy City would accept the bused-in illegals and called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a racist for trying to “exploit” them. That tone quickly changed and Chicago began begging for federal help. In May, Lightfoot declared a state of emergency [Mayor Lori Lightfoot issues state of emergency amid surge of migrant arrivals, by Chris Tye and Alex Ortiz, CBS Chicago, May 10, 2023].
Amusingly, black Chicagoans rebelled because illegals are hogging government “services,” meaning the freebies that blacks usually get. They demanded that government aid stay with them [Chicago Community Where 97% Voted for Biden React Furiously After Finding Out 500 Migrants Are Heading Their Way, by Neirin Gray Desai and James Gordon, Daily Mail, May 13, 2023]. But the blacks aren’t suddenly ready to vote Republican. Nor do they really want to do anything substantive about the illegals. As they made clear to GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy when he visited in May, locals want reparations for themselves and less money for illegals. That’s it. The backlash in Chicago is further cementing other left-wing priorities [Talk of Racism Proves Thorny for G.O.P. Candidates of Color, by Jonathan Weissman and Trip Gabriel, New York Times, June 1, 2023].
Still, none of these cities has abandoned Treason Lobby immigration dogma. Adams has at times sounded different from other Democrats and lambasted Biden’s failures at the border. But his proposals are all standard fare. Like his fellow Democratic mayors and governors, he wants the feds to throw more money at the problem and make it easier for illegals to stay. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is one of the few Democrats to attack Biden for not doing enough to secure the border [‘About to Break’: Newsom Says Feds Are Overwhelming California With Immigrants, by Susannah Luthi, Washington Free Beacon, December 13, 2023]. But after Florida flew in a few illegals, Newsom reverted to the standard party line. He lashed out at Republican misdeeds more than Biden’s border treason [Newsom calls on DOJ to probe Florida’s sending of migrants to California, by Alexander Nieves, The Hill, June 6, 2023].
Leftists will never learn from their immigration insanity. It’s the same story for their mad policies about public safety. They will release criminals and defund the police, then wonder why criminals are running wild in the streets. But they won’t reverse course. They will just demand more support from the federal government.
This is where Republicans should step in. The cities shouldn’t get a dime of additional federal aid until they comply with immigration law. The cities can’t have their cake and eat it too. They must pay the price for their leftist idiocy. If they don’t like all the “migrants” draining their public services and menacing their streets, then they should stop being sanctuaries. Until they do, they shouldn’t expect another penny from the federal purse.
This is an easy win for Republicans and a good way to keep the border invasion front and center heading into the 2024 elections. Biden and the Democrats want to hide the invasion and its results. The crisis in sanctuary cities shows it can’t be ignored. Republicans must highlight it and ensure these cities get what they deserve. They supported Biden’s Great Replacement invasion, now it’s time for them to “enjoy” its results.
Washington Watcher II is an anonymous DC insider.
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