As liberal California lawmakers hail their recently passed sanctuary bill, limiting what Golden State law enforcers can communicate about illegal aliens to federal immigration authorities, sheriffs who routinely encounter immigration cases say the statewide mandate would unduly handcuff them.
Never mind the disconnect with federal immigration law enforcement, which, in itself, is a slippery slope. At issue, first and foremost, should be the protection of U.S. citizens.
As passed, California’s law sets a disconcerting threshold for crimes committed by illegals.
Under the law, sheriffs would be barred from notifying federal immigration officials unless an illegal, arrested for drunken driving, for example, is charged with a felony or has been convicted of driving drunk four times in a 10-year period.
And repeat illegal-alien thieves get a pass on federal notification if stolen property doesn’t meet a $950 threshold for each theft, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
Closer to home, Pittsburgh’s “unbiased policing” policy bars officers from asking people about their immigration status, although it allows officers to assist feds on tracking illegals wanted on criminal warrants.
America’s laws must apply equally to everyone. Selective enforcement of federal notification under so-called sanctuary laws amounts to an abridgement of U.S. justice.
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