Chicago Mayor Refuses to Give up Sanctuary Status

Donald Trump’s opinions on illegal immigration and sanctuary cities are no secret, and the president-elect has vowed to start deporting illegals during his “first 100 days” in office. 

As I wrote on Saturday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has already announced that he will not be cooperating with Trump’s efforts to locate illegals currently living in New York. 

There are currently about 300 sanctuary cities across the nation, and mayors from New York, LA, San Francisco, Seattle, and Philadelphia have already insisted that their sanctuary policies will remain in place even if they lose federal funding. 

On Monday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that the Windy City would “always be a sanctuary city.” Chicago’s current laws prohibit police officers and government employees from asking the locals about immigration status, and Emanuel plans to keep it that way.

“To those who are, after Tuesday’s election, very nervous and filled with anxiety as we’ve spoken to, you are safe in Chicago, you are secure in Chicago, and you are supported in Chicago,” said Emanuel during a news conference called specifically to publicize the expansion of mental health services for those feeling anxious in the wake of the election. 

Emanuel’s vow is in direct opposition to Trump’s plans to block federal funding to sanctuary cities and – as he reiterated on Sunday – to build a border wall. “What we are going to do is get the people that are [criminals] and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers,” said Trump on CBS’s 60 Minutes.

“We have a lot of these people. Probably two million, it could be even three million,” he continued. “We are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate.” 

The president-elect said nothing about sanctuary cities during the interview, but explained that he would make determinations on other undocumented immigrants only after the “border is secured and after everything gets normalized.” 

In the meantime, Mayor Emanuel urges immigrants with questions about their legal status to contact Chicago’s 311 center to obtain more information. 

“Now, administrations may change, but our values and principles as it relates to inclusion does not,” said Emanuel. “People from all faiths, all backgrounds, and all parts of the world have beaten their path to the city of Chicago because Chicago offers them and – more importantly, as the son and the grandson of an immigrant – their children and grandchildren a chance at the American dream.” 

Editor’s note: If Trump wants to make an example of a sanctuary city, I’m sure no one would mind if it was Chicago.