Republican and Conservative political analysis and commentary

Blogger and future presidential candidate Fred Thompson tackles a big obstacle to protecting America against a tidal wave of illegal immigration - the declaration by a number of large cities that they will be "sanctuaries" for illegals and will not lift a finger to help enforce immigration laws.

If you listen to folks who oppose immigration and border enforcement, you get the feeling they think we put locks on our doors to keep everybody out. The truth is we have locks so we can choose who comes in. An example of what happens when we don’t make the choice took place August 4th when three Newark, New Jersey, college students with great promise were executed, gangland style. The killers’ ringleader was apparently an illegal alien indicted twice in 2007 for felonies, including the rape of a kindergarten-aged girl.

Why would such a person be set free instead of being handed over to authorities for deportation? The answer is that Newark is a “sanctuary city” which bans cooperation between local officials and federal immigration officials. More than 60 sanctuary zones, including 30 of America’s largest cities, provide a national networked haven for foreign and organized criminals who recruit and operate outside those areas as well. These sanctuaries include Cambridge, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California; Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Austin and Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and New York City.

The consequences of "sanctuary cities" may be most obvious in the city that became the first in 1979 - Los Angeles. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, a confidential California Department of Justice study from the mid-1990’s showed then that at least 60 percent of the members of L.A.’s most violent gangs, with membership in the tens of thousands, were illegal aliens. Of all outstanding murder warrants in Los Angeles, 95 percent are for illegal aliens. Frustrated police say they are powerless to pick up even well-known, previously deported felons.

Now I am a strong federalist, but immigration is a responsibility of the federal government, and the failures of local officials to enforce our national laws have a direct impact on communities around the country.

Thus does Thompson define a significant point of difference between himself and John McCain and Rudy Giuliani on the issue of illegal immigration. McCain, remember, is the author of various amnesty proposals that would reward 12 million lawbreakers with an easy road to citizenship. And Giuliani? He endorsed New York City's "Sanctuary City" status first so-designed by then-Mayor Ed Koch.

Jack Tapper at ABC News recently reported the details of that.