Councilman Robert Holden of the New York City borough of Queens is urging New York Mayor Eric Adams and state officials to dump sanctuary-city laws that allow illegal immigrants to remain here undisturbed by law enforcement. Holden, a Democrat, has written Adams and state officials to demand that they begin enforcing federal immigration law, regardless of the local sanctuary laws.
This summer, Holden co-sponsored legislation with Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) to repeal local and state-level sanctuary laws but the legislation stalled without other Democratic support. In the letter, Holden suggested that Empire State lawmakers review that legislation.
The Letter
“I write with grave concern about the continued impact of New York’s sanctuary state and city policies, which not only violate [federal law] but also put New Yorkers in harm’s way,” Holden’s letter stated. “Federal statute explicitly prohibits the harboring, shielding, or concealing of illegal aliens, particularly those engaged in criminal activities,” it continued.
Holden is breaking with the majority of his party, who wish to “Trump proof” their states prior to Trump’s ascencion to the White House in January. He has seemingly taken inspiration from Trump’s incoming “border czar” Thomas Homan’s recent appearance on Fox News when Homan said, “It is a felony to harbor and conceal illegal aliens from [ICE].”
Homan also recently vowed to deploy “double the number of [ICE] agents” to New York and other sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration-enforcement efforts.
“Sheilding criminals who shouldn’t be here from federal law enforcement is a violation of federal law. New York must stop being a sanctuary city and state. We have enough crime here — why import more?” Holden asked on X. “It’s time for elected officials to listen to the people.”
Holden appears to have an ally in his push to end New York’s sanctuary city status in Mayor Eric Adams, who said in February that it was time to rethink the Big Apple’s sanctuary policy.
“I want to go back to the standards of the previous mayors who, I believe, subscribed to my belief that people who are suspected of committing serious crimes in this city should be held accountable,” Adams said.
The Numbers
According to The New York Times, more than 150,000 illegal immigrants have invaded the Big Apple since the spring of 2022. Governors such as Greg Abbott of Texas started sending migrants by bus to cities with sanctuary policies such as New York, Chicago, and Denver.
The election of Donald Trump and demands for common sense in immigration policies from Democrats such as Holden, Borelli, and Adams seem to signal a subtle but perceptible move to the right on immigration policies in the United States. Unfortunately, not all Democrats agree. In Denver, for example, Mayor Mike Johnston claimed that deportations of illegal immigrants could cause a “Tiananmen Square” type of incident against federal agents.
“We’re not going to sell out those values to anyone,” Johnston told the Denverite. “We’re not going to be bullied into changing them.”
Johnston and other leftists believe that America exists only as a dumping ground for other nations’ problems. They don’t appear to care that the influx of undocumented migrants causes a real strain on the nation’s cities and dangers for its citizens.
