On the eve of a presidential trip to the southern border, the Biden White House announced it is reversing its stance on “sanctuary city” policies. The Democratic president is now urging local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration law enforcement efforts, rather than resist them.
The question for New Hampshire voters is whether longtime sanctuary policy supporters Joyce Craig and Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, both seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, will follow the president’s lead.
“The White House is calling for ‘sanctuary’ cities and jurisdictions across the U.S. to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in turning over criminal illegal immigrants for deportation,” Fox News reported.
“We welcome local law enforcement’s support and cooperation in apprehending and removing individuals who pose a risk to national security or public safety,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday in response to a question about its stance on sanctuary cities. “When a local jurisdiction has information about an individual who could pose a threat to public safety, we want them to share that information with ICE.”
This is a significant shift for President Joe Biden, who implemented dozens of new measures to make it easier for undocumented migrants to cross the border and remain in the U.S. when he took office.
During the 2020 campaign, Biden said undocumented immigrants arrested by local police should not be turned over to federal immigration authorities. He released a policy proposal targeting Latino voters in which he denounced agreements between federal immigration enforcement and local law enforcement, allowing them to be deputized to enforce immigration law.
In early 2021, for example, the Biden administration reversed a Trump policy that attempted to discourage “sanctuary city” policies by restricting eligibility for a $250 million federal grant program to local police who agreed to cooperate with federal immigration agencies.
Biden’s change of heart comes as horrified Americans read more headlines about high-profile crimes committed by illegal immigrants who had been arrested — and then released — before committing the alleged acts.
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, allegedly died at the hands of an illegal immigrant who had been admitted to the U.S. under Biden’s border rules. The suspect, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra of Venezuela, was previously arrested and then released by New York City police. New York is a sanctuary city.
A two-year-old boy in Maryland was just shot to death by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who had been repeatedly arrested and ordered deported but then released by local authorities.
And U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens posted on social media Tuesday that 11 people with a history of violent crime were arrested crossing the southern border in just the previous 72 hours.
“Their criminal histories include: child molestation, aggravated assault, rape, murder, [and the] manufacture/trafficking of firearms,” Owens posted.
As concerns about crime surge, Biden isn’t the only Democrat who’s reversing course on sanctuary policies. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday it was time for illegal immigrants suspected of crimes to be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement — ending New York’s “sanctuary city” status.
“I want to go back to the standards of the previous mayors who I believe subscribe to my belief that people who are suspected of committing serious crimes in this city should be held accountable,” Adams said.
According to Politico, Adams was asked about the due process rights of illegal immigrants. “They didn’t give due process to the person that they shot or punched or killed,” Adams fired back.
Is this shift regarding sanctuary city politics coming to Granite State Democrats, too? Both Craig and Warmington have adamantly refused to answer questions about their view of the sanctuary policies they supported in the past. Neither campaign responded to requests for comment Wednesday night about Biden’s new stance.
Meanwhile, New Hampshire Republicans continue to pound away on the issue. The state GOP launched a “Secure the Border” petition (and fundraising pitch) on Wednesday.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Chuck Morse responded to the news from the Biden White House with a statement.
“I have consistently supported immigration policies that prioritize public safety in the Granite State, including rejecting sanctuary cities and amnesty for illegal immigrants. Joe Biden finally calling for sanctuary cities to cooperate with ICE is a long-awaited step in the right direction, but New Hampshire’s next governor must still confront the challenges wrought by Joe Biden’s border crisis. My proven record demonstrates I have the capability to address these issues better than any other candidate.”
And Kelly Ayotte, who is also seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination, said Biden’s reversal “is like an arsonist showing up to put out the fire with a cup of water.
“The Biden administration has failed to secure our borders and allowed millions of unvetted illegal immigrants to pour into our country. Joyce Craig and Cinde Warmington are no better — they’d turn New Hampshire into a sanctuary state and bring Massachusetts’ illegal immigrant crisis over our southern border. I will never let that happen.”
Biden is scheduled to travel to Brownsville, Texas, on Thursday. His likely 2024 rival, Donald Trump, will be at the border in Eagle Pass, Texas the same day.
Border crossings by undocumented migrants into the U.S. have set a record in every year Biden has been president.
