This is a nation of immigrants and also of laws. Many immigrants who come here, come to escape totalitarian regimes with no respect for the rule of law. We are a representative democracy and if citizens are unhappy with the laws that we currently have on immigration, they should elect candidates committed to changing them. What we should not do is tell people, “don’t worry, we won’t enforce that law here and so you will be safe.”
It is tacit approval of disobedience to the law.
While this country has a long history of civil disobedience from Thoreau to MLK, civil disobedience is never “safe.” People who disobey the law and those that abet them must anticipate the possibility of incarceration. The idea that it is safe for people to break the law is false and unfair to those who hear the message. “Safe city” acts as a beacon to those breaking the law, because they now have a false belief that this is a place where they can do it with impunity. By passing “safe city” measures, people may feel they are engaging in civil disobedience, but in reality they are passing off the consequences of that civil disobedience to the very people they wish to protect.
We as a community have control over local law enforcement resource allocation. It is reasonable for our community to say this is an unfunded request and we simply do not have the resources or have other priorities. What we cannot do is control federal resources. ICE has chosen to deploy more agents to communities that declare themselves as “safe” or “sanctuary cities.” That should not be a surprise to anyone. Resources get deployed where there is the greatest need, and cities where people have been encouraged to break the law have the greatest need. The result is that so-called “safe” and “sanctuary cities” are actually more dangerous for illegal aliens than those that take no action.
Some may be willing to believe that at least we are not helping ICE, but that is also not true. Every arrestee taken into custody by the police is fingerprinted. Those fingerprints are uploaded with identifying information including name, aliases, tattoos, height, weight, address, and telephone number into an FBI data base. The FBI and Homeland Security share information for the purpose of counterterrorism functions. ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security. While local police may not pick up the phone and directly contact ICE related to arrests, they still provide a tremendous amount of information.
It has been suggested that by giving this false sense of security to those in the country illegally that they will be more willing to report other crime. It is said that their illegal immigration status has pushed these people into the shadows. I am sure it has. Regardless of immigration status, legal scofflaws live in the shadows all the time. When the guy getting paid under the table gets fired, he does not file an unemployment claim. The woman driving without a license does not call the cops when she is rear-ended. When you are playing in an illegal poker game and another player is palming cards, you do not complain to the gaming commission. The purchaser of heroin who gets ripped off by his dealer does not sue for breach of contract. Prostitutes who are the victims of work place violence seldom call the police. Those who live outside the law often choose to go without its protections.
The Franklin County Courthouse has an inscription remaining from the old building. It reads “Law Allows Liberty Without License.” Obeying the law and honoring our commitments to due process for those accused of breaking it, is what gives us freedom. It is what separates us from nations run by despots or those that suffer under the tyranny of theocratic mob rule without respect for minority rights. Should we give that up because we have not made our case for comprehensive immigration reform with our fellow citizens who elect leaders with whom we disagree? I think not.
It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “the best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.” By obeying the law and activism, we can change the course of the immigration debate. “Safe” or “sanctuary city” policies merely encourage lawlessness, and achieve no meaningful objectives. Rather than giving a wink and a nod to law breakers, those who genuinely care about the cause of those in this country illegally, should work to help them obtain legal status. That can be done on a case by case basis or through comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level.
Isaac Mass is a Greenfield town Councilor.