David J. Silva: Sanctuary cities protect criminals; is that what we want?
There is a group of people who want to have Merced city and county declared a “regional sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants. Donald Trump has said he wants to deport illegal aliens with criminal records. Why would anyone object to this policy? If you come here legally and commit a crime, you are jailed. Why should it be any different for illegal immigrants? Sheriff Vern Warnke is not in favor of this program and says if his deputies investigate a crime committed by an undocumented person, they might be deported; they do not actively seek out undocumented people.
When an area is declared a sanctuary, it becomes a magnet for criminals and that puts all of us at risk. Is that really what you want? To come here legally, you must prove that you have no criminal record, why should it be any different for the undocumented?
Protecting a criminal is against the law and anyone doing so should be prosecuted. People who live in sanctuary areas and are harmed by undocumented criminals should sue the government of that area. No one is going to drag people out of their homes, schools or campuses and deporting them if they are not criminals.
David J. Silva, Los Banos
Editor’s note: Sanctuary cities do not cooperate with federal authorities in prosecuting those in the United States without documentation. All other crimes and misdemeanors committed in sanctuary cities are prosecuted.
This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 10:15 AM with the headline "David J. Silva: Sanctuary cities protect criminals; is that what we want?."