California Town Pushes Back On ‘Unconstitutional’ Sanctuary State Policies

Maybe California isn’t quite as unified on that whole “sanctuary state” ideas as its Democratic leadership would have you believe. A town in Orange County is considering opting out of the state’s laws that seek to protect illegal immigrants, including some with criminal records, citing their potential violation of the U.S. Constitution, which council members are sworn to support and defend.

On Monday, Los Alamitos’ city council is voting on a new ordinance that would exempt the city from the state’s controversial new “sanctuary” act, the “California Values Act” (SB54), which deliberately impedes federal authorities’ ability to crack down on illegal immigration.

The proposed exemption argues that the California Values Act “may be in direct conflict with federal laws and the Constitution of the United States,” thus making it “impossible” for the council members to uphold their oaths to abide by the U.S. Constitution. The Orange County Register reports:

Stating that council members have taken an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution, the ordinance says the council “finds that it is impossible to honor our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and at the same time be in compliance with the new state law.

The OCR cites a law professor at Loyola Marymount University who says that the council’s proposed bill is based on a “flawed argument” because California’s new law is “absolutely consistent” with the Constitution. But U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions clearly doesn’t agree. His DOJ has just filed a lawsuit against the state challenging three of its sanctuary laws: SB54, the “Workplace Raid” law (AB 450) and the “Detention Review” law (AB 103).

“The Department of Justice and the Trump administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair, and unconstitutional policies that have been imposed on you,” Sessions told law enforcement officers at the California Peace Officers Association in early March. “We are fighting to make your jobs safer and to help you reduce crime in America. And I believe that we are going to win.”

Related: ICE: Sanctuary City Mayor’s Warning Helped Illegal Immigrants Evade Capture. Here Are Some Of The Crimes They’ve Committed.