PrintWhite House wanted to release asylum-seekers into sanctuary cities
Now, this is what I call "social justice."
The Trump administration proposed releasing immigrant detainees onto the streets of "sanctuary cities" — including San Francisco — on at least two occasions within the past six months as retribution against the president's political enemies, The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed Department of Homeland Security officials and emails.
The proposal was first floated in November amid reports of a large migrant caravan from Central America making its way to the southern border. The other time it was considered — in February — occurred during a standoff between Trump and Democrats over border wall funding.
It was rejected both times by immigration agencies, the report said. A Nov. 16 email from the White House to officials at several agencies reportedly asked whether migrants could be arrested and bused to "small-and mid-sized sanctuary cities" and other Democratic strongholds.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's district in San Francisco was considered one of the areas targeted, according to the paper. Pelosi blasted the plan Thursday, calling it "despicable" to use "human beings — including little children — as pawns in their warped game to perpetuate fear and demonize immigrants."
What is Pelosi's beef? Releasing detainees into sanctuary cities is the opposite of fear-mongering. Won't the detainees be safer there than they would be in a city without sanctuary protections?
Don't city officials make a huge deal about being "welcoming" to all people? So now, when it comes time to put their city budget where their mouth is, they get cold feet and start talking about "fear" and "demonizing" immigrants?
Listen, children: this is politics in the age of Trump — no-holds-barred, in-your-face, smash-mouth, ram-it-down-your-throat politics. Trump has shown he can play that game as well as the Democrats. For Pelosi and the left to call "foul" on Trump is hypocritical.
But Pelosi's right, of course. It's a "warped" idea. And the immigration bureaucracy declined the opportunity to stick it to Democrats and sanctuary cities. But the game has changed, and Democrats have been put on notice that even those who pretend to be nice guys won't win much in the way of power and influence.
It's time to go to the mattresses and take no prisoners.
