A sanctuary law that tied police hands

Originally published by Washington Examiner.

In El Cajon, California, just 25 miles from the Mexican border, a city councilman recently made a simple request. Federal agents had alerted local officials about more than 50 unaccompanied children who might be living in unsafe conditions alongside illegal immigrants. Could El Cajon’s local police conduct a wellness check?

The answer, unbelievably, was no because doing so might violate California’s sanctuary law, Senate Bill 54.

There is no greater fundamental duty of government than protecting the vulnerable. In a reasonable world, El Cajon police would have acted immediately. Instead, officers were forced to hesitate. California’s sanctuary statute creates legal risk for local authorities who coordinate too closely with federal immigration officials, even in urgent situations like those in El Cajon.

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