DOVER, DE - The Trump administration has had it with sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a modicum of assistance with enforcing the country’s immigration laws. Now, the administration has warned sanctuary cities and states that beginning Feb. 1, the money well is going to go dry. Apparently, that has caused Delaware lawmakers to soil themselves.
Just as states like Connecticut and Massachusetts insist they are not sanctuary states, Delaware likewise claims it is not a sanctuary state. The proof, however, is in the pudding.
After the White House announced federal funding would be cut off for any state or municipality that operates as a sanctuary for illegal aliens, Delaware state officials now moan that referring to the state as a sanctuary state “mischaracterizes” what they are trying to do to help state residents.
A few days after the administration’s announcement, WMDT-47 reported that the Delaware state senate passed SB27, which establishes an “Office of New Americans” that is designed to connect immigrants (including those in the country illegally) with resources to help them milk the taxpayers, er, establish themselves in the state.
One lawmaker, Sen. Russ Huxtable, said the state would likely take the administration to court while claiming the designation as a sanctuary state doesn’t reflect the “reality” on the ground.
“Since Trump took office, Delaware Democrats and Republicans have passed legislation with bipartisan support to prevent local law enforcement from entering into agreements with federal immigration enforcement agencies, and then we unanimously voted to create an Office of New Americans that is rooted in economic growth and opportunity for our residents."
"All 21 senators joined in co-sponsoring the bill to create an Office of New Americans. These federal decisions aren’t about policy differences; they’re about an administration flexing political muscle to distract from its own policy failures, which are clearly not delivering for Americans, let alone Delawareans,” he said.
Even Republicans are taking the side of illegal aliens in the country’s smallest state, with state senator Eric Buckson, a Republican, claiming that calling Delaware a sanctuary state mischaracterizes what the state is doing to help all its residents. Buckson said the act is designed to serve residents who have gone through the process to reside legally, and that the state should bring people together, not politicize the matter.
“It’s obviously concerning,” he said of the president’s announcement. He said he believed the state served as “collateral damage” because of the actions being taken by other cities and states. “I think if you look closely in Delaware, although we have a governor that tries to provoke or take a fight at the national level, on the ground here, I don’t see it the same way I assume to see it in other cities.”
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, who, along with attorneys general from other blue states, has filed some 50 (mostly frivolous) lawsuits against the administration, doesn’t believe the president’s plan will be an issue.
“We have taken this administration to court nearly 50 times in the past year,” Jennings said in a statement. “We are ready to do it again if they follow through on this lawless threat.”
The bill will now go to the Delaware House, where it is expected to pass.
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