Chicago, sanctuary city status and federal grants.

[Averageman]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...115-story.html
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday promised to protect immigrants from deportation, even as president-elect Donald Trump has pledged to remove as many as 3 million immigrants who have criminal records and are living in the country illegally.
For more than three decades, Chicago has been a sanctuary city, where local laws prohibit government workers and police officers from asking about residents' immigration status. The mayor said that tradition would continue.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/chicago-...y-city-threat/
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has taken his fight against President Donald Trump's immigration policies to court, with Chicago becoming one of the first cities Monday to sue over what many U.S. cities argue are illegal bids to withhold public safety grants from so-called sanctuary cities.

Hours later, Attorney General Jeff Sessions hit back at Chicago, saying the Trump administration "will not simply give away grant dollars to city governments that proudly violate the rule of law and protect criminal aliens at the expense of public safety."

"So it's this simple: Comply with the law or forego taxpayer dollars," he said in a toughly worded statement.

Chicago's suit focuses on new conditions set by Sessions for cities to qualify for grant money. They include the sharing immigration-status records with federal agencies, providing 48-hours notice of a detainee's release if immigration violations are suspected and giving federal agents unfettered access to jails.

"The government," the lawsuit says, can't "unilaterally" set new conditions that weren't approved by Congress "and that would federalize local jails and police stations, mandate warrantless detentions in order to investigate for federal civil infractions, sow fear in local immigrant communities, and ultimately make the people of Chicago less safe."

Chicago's sanctuary policies date back to the mid-1980s and successive city councils have confirmed or expanded the protections.

The city prohibits police from providing federal Immigration and Customs officials access to people in police custody, unless they are wanted on a criminal warrant or have serious criminal convictions. Local police are also barred from allowing ICE agents to use their facilities for interviews or investigations and from responding to ICE inquiries or talking to ICE officials about a person's custody status or release date.

City authorities say the policies help encourage residents of the immigrant community to inform police when they are victims of crimes.

I wonder how this will play out?

[Dienekes]

Like a dystopian movie...

[PattonWasRight]

Sanctuary cities are a strategy by a certain political party to add to their voting base.

That's their "ethical stance" behind this.

[T2C]

The Trump administration should and will win this case in court. While the case moves through the court system, sanctuary cities should receive zero Federal tax dollars.

[SomeOtherGuy]

I wonder how this will play out?

Like certain countries south of the Rio Grande, where local and federal law enforcement are not on the same team.

The Trump administration should and will win this case in court. While the case moves through the court system, sanctuary cities should receive zero Federal tax dollars.

Yeah, how's that theory working on the immigration-ban side of things? I can think of several cases where the Trump admin was legally in the right, and there was basically no non-frivolous argument against them, yet the courts barred the administration's action.

[Averageman]

Well at least if they play the court battle out for a year or two Chicago, regardless of the outcome won't get any money until it is over.

[Kain]

Like certain countries south of the Rio Grande, where local and federal law enforcement are not on the same team.

So in other words same shit different day? I know cooperation is better in some places than it used to be. But, it ain't like the locals play well with the Feds all the times, hell some local agencies don't play well with their neighboring agencies.

[glocktogo]

Even if the administration loses, I still ask with what army or police force does an activist judge compel compliance with their bench decree?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

The messaging on this is critical. They need 'poster children' examples of really bad guys being protected by these cities and make that the issue. Most people will assume that it is just a general sweep for illegals. When you point out it is criminals that these cities are keeping around and protecting, that changes the story.

Why can't we criminalize overstaying visas and not being her legally? I know it would be tough to do now, but it seems like violating immigration and visa laws would be a felony?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Even if the administration loses, I still ask with what army or police force does an activist judge compel compliance with their bench decree?

Isn't it federal marshals? As in the judge has an order for a politician and if they don't do it, they get a bench warrant and arrest them and start going down the chain of command?

But I do like the "How many divisions does a judge have" angle.