The Trump administration has habitually gone after so-called “sanctuary cities” and now it may take that a step further as it considers an unprecedented move that fits in with Trump’s strict law-and-order hype as the election looms. Unnamed sources are now saying the administration is considering placing billboards featuring immigration violators in these cities, CNN [1] reports.
Sanctuary cities are cities that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials and this has rubbed those in the Trump administration the wrong way amid claims these cities endanger public safety.
These billboards will be placed in at least one city by the Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The billboards will call attention to immigrants who have committed crimes and been released by local law officials. A few things are still up in the air — it’s unclear how much the billboards will cost and what they will look like.
But one thing is clear: If this plan proceeds it’s almost certain to single out these communities and instill fear.
The DHS and the Justice Department have faced scrutiny over whether they have been politically boosting Trump as the election season grows increasingly contentious, CNN notes.
That scrutiny has been turned up a notch after the two agencies admonished Portland, Oregon, where protests became violent. The DOJ also targeted [2] three large cities that are Democrat-led — Portland, Seattle, and New York City — for having “permitted violence and destruction of property.”
But for John Sandweg, ICE’s former acting director, this is little more than a political ploy.
“How are they getting funding for it? How does that advance their mission?” he said. “Running billboards, it’s political messaging.”
It’s also a form of bullying, by the Trump administration and the president himself.
Instead of working with @ICEgov [3] enforce the law, local officials in Mecklenberg County, NC decided it would be better to give these criminals "sanctuary" so they could go back out on the streets — where they were free to reoffend until ICE arrested them.https://t.co/WStFVAifFN [4]
— Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) September 30, 2020 [5]
My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses. We’re putting them on notice today. @RussVought45 [6]
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020 [7]
And we have witnessed Trump’s nasty attacks on Portland’s Mayor, Dan Wheeler, a Democrat:
Ted Wheeler, the wacky Radical Left Do Nothing Democrat Mayor of Portland, who has watched great death and destruction of his City during his tenure, thinks this lawless situation should go on forever. Wrong! Portland will never recover with a fool for a Mayor….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2020 [8]
..The people of Portland, like all other cities & parts of our great Country, want Law & Order. The Radical Left Democrat Mayors, like the dummy running Portland, or the guy right now in his basement unwilling to lead or even speak out against crime, will never be able to do it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2020 [9]
Donald Trump Jr. has even gotten in on the bullying:
Ted Wheeler has blood on his hands. He decided to play politics and refused @realDonaldTrump [10]'s offer to send the National Guard to end the riots and now an innocent Trump supporter is dead at the hands of the radical leftwing mob because of it. He's a disgrace!!! https://t.co/3PDkiOxfhT [11]
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 30, 2020 [12]
This takes cruel bullying to a whole other level. Trump’s racism is more than evident here. He’s penalizing people who often face horrible, unimaginable realities in their own countries, and the fact that he still thinks it’s okay to separate young children from their mothers is just disgusting. And while in nearly every other way, former President Barack Obama stands head-and-shoulders above Trump, it’s worth noting his administration also incarcerated [13] thousands of kids. I’m not in any way defending Trump, I’m saying this practice needs to stop.
It’s ugly and inhumane. And it kills innocent children.