An “anti-sanctuary state” movement is brewing in some of California’s more conservative regions, as Californians decide they don’t want to be quite as welcoming to those who deliberately flout immigration laws as their “progressive” governor.
The Los Angeles Times reports that after the small town of Los Alamitos voted last week to exempt itself from the governor’s edict that California accept all illegal immigrants and offer them sanctuary from federal law enforcement, Orange County — perhaps the state’s largest conservative enclave — has decided to follow suit.
The County board’s supervisors considered Monday whether to “take up a resolution to condemn and possibly take legal action against the state’s ‘sanctuary’ laws,” according to the LA Times.
“These state laws are preempted by federal law,” one supervisor said. “Our officers actually face penalties under state law if they so much as talk to federal agents for the wrong thing. That’s just unacceptable and it’s contrary to federal law.”
That potential harm could give the county the right to sue the state of California, claiming that the state and the governor are exposing them — and the taxpayers under their supervision — to stiff monetary penalties from the federal government, and to an increased tax burden levied on legal citizens to help offset the cost of housing and caring for millions of illegals.
Orange County wouldn’t be the first to make that claim. Several states, including Texas, have joined in the federal government’s lawsuit against the state of California over its sanctuary policies, claiming that California’s open-ness to lawbreakers means more illegal immigration across the board, and that means greater financial burdens for states with stricter policies. They may be able to protect their borders with Mexico, but it’s much harder to protect borders with other states.
Cities like Yorba Linda, Buena Park, Huntington Beach and Mission Viejo, all in deeper-red areas of California, are considering their own resolutions opposing the governor’s declaration. Citizens in northern California claim they’re even considering a secession measure if Gov. Jerry Brown pushes the envelope further.
“We cannot allow this to happen in Orange County and we need to protect our families and our homes here in Orange County,” one Orange County supervisor told the LA Times. “And that means bolstering our cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and stopping our county from becoming a sanctuary for criminal illegal immigrants.”