The stark realities of illegal immigration have become impossible to ignore in America’s largest cities, where progressive leadership has long championed sanctuary policies, but the time of reckoning is here. New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently made waves with his candid remarks about the burden illegal immigrant criminals have placed on his city.
His stated willingness to work with incoming border czar Tom Homan signals a growing acknowledgment among Democrats that their current approach is politically toxic after the 2024 election showed record numbers of Hispanic and Asian Americans in urban centers voting Republican and rejecting open borders. Meanwhile, in Chicago, residents have expressed outrage over their progressive mayor's decision to protect illegal immigrant criminals.
The contrasting statements of these two Democratic mayors reflect a broader, defining moment for the Democratic Party: Will they work to remove criminal illegal immigrants or continue defending policies that shelter them at the expense of taxpayers and innocent victims?
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The frustration in New York City and Chicago stems from the same root: poorly enforced immigration laws coupled with soft-on-crime local policies. Sanctuary city laws, which limit local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, were promoted under the pretense of protecting vulnerable immigrants who came to America just to work and go on with their lives. However, they have devolved into shields for criminals who exploit these policies at the expense of law-abiding citizens, legal immigrants and other unauthorized immigrants.
In cities across America, illegal immigrant gangs have taken over apartment complexes, formed shoplifting rings and even robbed and masturbated in front of an assistant district attorney inside her own home. No-bail laws mean that criminals are released nearly every single time after they are arrested – only to commit more crimes. Further, sanctuary city policies mean that even after conviction or arrest, these criminals aren’t held long enough for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to remove them from the country.
Perhaps the 2024 election results in New York, which moved further right than any other state in the last four years, pushed Adams to change his tone on immigration. His openness to collaborating with Homan could mark a shift in the Democratic Party’s stance. If pursued in earnest, this cooperation could help restore law and order by prioritizing the removal of illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
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But Adams faces opposition from the socialist-leaning city council, so he will have to act alone. He can align with the majority of Americans, who overwhelmingly support deporting criminals who are here illegally, or he can cave to the progressive wing of his party, which continues to defend policies that keep criminals on American streets.
The Democratic Party’s dilemma presents a historic opportunity for Republicans, and for President-elect Donald Trump in particular. His promise to secure the border and prioritize the removal of criminal illegal immigrants is widely supported by the public. And, according to a recent Gallup poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans believe immigration is a good thing for the country.
A Manhattan Institute poll suggests that Americans are also most interested in welcoming more legal immigrants who won’t depend on government assistance and will assimilate. Mass deportations of all illegal immigrants may be divisive, but most Democrat voters also support deporting criminals. This suggests that Americans are ready for a balanced approach – one that welcomes legal immigrants while forcefully deporting criminals.
How exactly could Trump do this, especially in sanctuary jurisdictions? In a bold and strategic move, Trump should deploy ICE agents to sanctuary city police stations where criminal illegal immigrants are often processed and released. Sanctuary policies only prohibit law enforcement from holding illegal immigrants for additional time and going the extra mile to help ICE catch them. But local law enforcement cannot inhibit ICE from catching criminals if they happen to be right in front of them (and imagine the P.R. opportunity for Trump!).
Trump has the chance to unite Americans on immigration by acting forcefully against criminal illegal immigrants and gain more popularity to enact the rest of his agenda. And Democratic mayors and governors must choose: will they stand in the way, or will they protect their own citizens before they vote them out?
