Detroit a Sanctuary?

Amanda Carpenter of Human Events reports that Detroit may soon become a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants.

Today, Detroit City Council members will consider a proposal to make the Motor City a “sanctuary city” with a “don’t ask, don’t tell” mandate to prohibit police officers from asking about immigration status without criminal cause.

If Detroit acts on this proposal, it will join more than 30 other major cities that already have similar mandates.

Meanwhile, Congress has yet to re-open debate on immigration reform after abandoning proposals last year after an agreement could not be reached to secure the border without creating a path to citizenship that would have given amnesty to illegal aliens.

Sanctuary city policies defy guidelines from the 9/11 Commission Report, which called on state and local authorities to help federal agencies crack down on illegal immigration. On page 390 it said that, “There is a growing role for state and local law enforcement agencies [for the enforcement of immigration law]. They need more training and work with federal agencies so that they can cooperate more effectively with those federal authorities in identifying terrorist suspects.”

Detroit City Council President Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. doesn’t think his city’s police officers have any obligation to uphold federal immigration law. He told the Detroit Free Press, “If you’re a police officer and pulling someone over for a traffic stop, why do you need to see their immigration papers? That’s not the responsibility of the police force, that’s the responsibility of federal law enforcement to enforce immigration laws.”

Cockrel also said that he expects the sanctuary city proposal to pass.

Apparently, Ann Arbor is already a sanctuary.