California Counties Revolt Against “Sanctuary State”

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California may be acting in defiance of the Federal Government in becoming a “sanctuary state,” – offering sanctuary to illegal immigrants – but some cities within California are revolting against that decision.

Ironically, it’s California that bears a larger share of the costs of illegal immigration, more so than any other State. One estimate puts the annual burden of accommodating illegals at $23 billion for California. In other words, the annual cost of illegal immigration in California alone is large enough to burn through the entire net worth of PayPal/Tesla/SpaceX/SolarCity founder Elon Musk…. in under a year.

Not everyone in the State of California is on board with footing the massive cost of non-citizens, especially when they’re the poorest State in the nation (after adjusting for the cost of living) and have a homelessness epidemic.

Earlier this week, the city council for a small city in Orange County, California called Los Alamitos has voted to reject the State’s sanctuary law that limits cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration officials. Others were quick to follow their lead, including the rest of the County as a whole.

According to Breitbart:

The County of Orange and several cities in Southern California soon might join Los Alamitos in its bid to opt out of a controversial state law that limits cooperation with federal immigration officials. “I’ve gotten a lot of calls from other city council members and other mayors that are interested in being part of this,” Los Alamitos Mayor Troy Edgar said Tuesday. “They really want to know what was the process and are trying to get advice on how to go to the next steps.”

Immigration advocates said the cities and counties that adopt opt-out ordinances will be violating state law and at risk of litigation, which is ironic, given that their state law is in violation of federal law.

Orange County is a key battleground in 2018, both at the state and federal levels. Democrats are hoping to pick up several U.S. House seats in the county, which voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 — the first time in decades that the traditionally conservative county had backed a Democrat.

Los Alamitos is a small town of only 12,000, but it’s clear that they’re not the only ones dismayed by their State’s ridiculous immigration policy. If the State of California can disobey the Federal government, how can the State complain when their own cities and towns disobey their laws?

California may not even be a Sanctuary State for long. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the State of California on March 6th, contending that their “Sanctuary State” policy violates the U.S. Constitution.

What do you think should be done to fight illegal immigration? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below. 

By Matt

Matt is the co-founder of Unbiased America and a freelance writer specializing in economics and politics. He’s been published... More about Matt

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