Resistance is so en vogue these days.
A handful of Democratic mayors are promising to fight President Trump, who’s suggested halting federal funding to cities who refuse to abide by federal immigration laws and regulations.
Mayors in Boston, Chicago, and Seatle are wailing the loudest:
“[It’s an attack] on Boston’s people, Boston’s strength and Boston’s values,” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (D) told reporters during a press conference Wednesday, according to USA Today. “If people want to live here, they’ll live here. They can use my office. They can any office in this building.”Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D), meanwhile, stated his city intends on openly operating as a sanctuary city.“I want to be clear,” he said during a press conference in the nation’s third-largest city. “We’re going to stay a sanctuary city.”“We welcome people, whether you’re from Poland or Pakistan, whether you’re from Ireland or India or Israel and whether you’re from Mexico or Moldova, where my grandfather is from, you are welcome in Chicago as you pursue the American Dream.”Seattle Mayor Ed Murray (D), meanwhile, said that his city could withstand legal challenges from the Trump administration over the matter.“This city will not be bullied by this administration,” he said Wednesday. “We believe we have the rule of law and the courts on our side.”
“Rule of law and courts on our side” is a nice rallying platitude, though wholly incorrect. States, particularly rogue municipalities are not permitted to abide by federal law at their leisure. The Civil War taught us that much.
I’m all for a good federalism debate, the 10th amendment being one of my favorites, but mayors believing they have the authority to arbitrarily enforce federal regulations are what we call down here, “too prissy for their britches.”
Despite widespread reporting to the contrary, there is no mention of restricted funding in President Trump’s Executive Order on Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements issued Wednesday.
Follow Kemberlee on Twitter @kemberleekaye
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