Sheriffs dismiss a major Democratic talking point on sanctuary cities

Article author: 
Anna Giaritelli
Article publisher: 
Washington Examiner
Article date: 
21 February 2017
Article category: 
National News
Medium
Article Body: 

Sheriffs from around the country are dismissing Democratic claims that sanctuary cities help give illegal [alien] immigrants the confidence to report local crimes to police, without fear of being deported.

Democrats have put forward that argument for the last several months in the face of Republican efforts to block cities from creating safe zones for illegal immigrants. But sheriffs reached by the Washington Examiner say they're not aware that this kind of cooperation really exists between law enforcement and illegal immigrants, or that cops in sanctuary cities get more assistance from illegal immigrants.

Many of the sheriffs who are skeptical don't work in sanctuary cities. But National Sheriffs' Association executive director Jonathan Thompson, who represents a wide geographical range of law enforcement officers, said he has never seen any statistics indicating that illegal immigrants are a significant source of information for police.

"I've not even seen anecdotal evidence," Thompson told the Washington Examiner...