Opinion
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San Jose, California Police Chief Rob Davis announced to cheering illegal aliens, "We do not participate in those raids. We're the police department for everybody. When we come to help you, you don't need to worry about your immigration status."

Those public officials must have forgotten their oath of office. They swore to support and defend the Constitutions of the United States and the State Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic; bear true faith and allegiance to both constitutions without reservation or evasion. Specifically they swore they would not advocate nor become a member of any party or organization, political or otherwise, that advocates the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of the State by force or violence or other unlawful means."

Siding with illegal aliens against federal law enforcement agents violates this oath of office. They are foreign nationals. Most are hardworking family people who want desperately to become American citizens. Nevertheless, it is a mistake to assign one motive to all illegal aliens. Some illegal aliens work temporarily with the goal of returning to their homeland. Others are criminals here to prey on illegal aliens, American citizens and on anybody else they can. After 9/11, a prudent person must presume that some of them are terrorists. So, city officials act irresponsibly when they support all illegal aliens indiscriminately.

Some illegal aliens would welcome those combined city police and ICE raids. These are people lured here by promises of good jobs and enslaved. The U.S. Bureau of Statistics reported 555 investigations of violations of the Trafficking in Victims Protection Act from 2001 to 2005. Those arrests included violations for forced labor (24%), for sex trafficking of children (23%), and trafficking slaves (9%). Local police agencies, the FBI and ICE took part in those investigations.

Sanctuary cities like Los Angeles are hypocritical because they apply for federal funds under the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) even as they give illegal aliens sanctuary. SCAAP repays states and localities for some of the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens for local crimes—not because of immigration code violations. Los Angeles claims $12.5 million, but says it spent $80 million keeping illegal aliens in jail in 2005.

Public officials broadcast their sanctuary as if guided by some moral principle. However, their police chiefs agree with sanctuary, because they say illegal aliens will not cooperate with their local crime investigations if they help ICE enforce immigration law. In addition, many supporters of illegal aliens warn Americans they must allow this illegal entry or face higher food costs.

So, the payoff to illegal aliens is that Americans will ignore how they violate immigration laws if they work at low wages to provide us cheap food. The eventual payoff illegal aliens’ demand is citizenship outside normal legal channels. Then, we will face a new more motivated wave of illegal aliens.

Respect for laws and civic responsibility decline and crime and violence increase when society compromises its laws. The United States is one of the most violent among industrial nations and it has the highest incarceration rate. This results from a legal system with a two-hundred year history of excluding protection for minority groups, about 30 percent of the population. In addition, it mostly ignored business crime against the working class. This legal system with a history that ignored standards of morality and civic responsibility became part of the culture not easily shed.

Public officials’ primary responsibility is to preserve the integrity of the nation’s system of laws as the bulwark against lawlessness. It should shock Americans that one radical city sided with foreign nationals over federal agents enforcing national laws. That it happened in more than ten of the nation’s largest cities should panic them in a society already reeling from political and corporate crime.

There is never a good time for federal and local law enforcement officials to squabble. Now, during this era of terrorist attacks is a particularly bad time for cities to side against Homeland Security and ICE. A stable, alert immigration and local law enforcement policy is our best defense against a terrorist attack or fast response to one. Confusion between government officials is the enemy of national security. City governments must find a way to support immigration enforcement policy and solve local crime.

Kenneth Brooks is a freelance writer and speaker. Contact him at P.O. Box 882, Vallejo, CA 94590. E-mail to: opinion@ethicalego.com.