By Editorial
There is a myth that is constantly repeated to justify the aggressive immigration policy of the Trump Administration. A fallacious argument is used to claim that so-called “sanctuary cities” are an incubation of violence and crime in urban centers; when in reality, they not only have less crime than other cities, but they contribute to greater safety.
The decision of a police agency not to arrest undocumented immigrants for the sole reason of being undocumented allows that person to report a crime or appeal for help to the authorities without the fear of being deported. This guarantee contributes to collective security.
A significant case is that of immigrant Axél Sánchez Toledo in Palm Seaside, Florida. There the father of the family, separated from his wife, was concerned about the well-being of his four-year-old daughter. He acted as is usually done in these cases. She called 911 and asked authorities if they could check on the girl’s condition.
Sánchez Toledo never received that information. Sheriff’s deputies arrested him for being undocumented. Florida is an example of the collaboration desired between immigration and local authorities, according to the 287(g) program. The contract turns the police into an immigration agent.
In the case of Sánchez Toledo, as allowed in Florida, there are agents performing ICE functions in a fashioned patrol. No one thought about the girl or the father’s concern anymore.
The priority given to the detention of an undocumented person is above everything else. This responds to the nationalist fantasy that Washington says immigrants “are people who come with the purpose of ruining the country,” when the vast majority come to work, prosper and create a better life.
There is nothing better than data to combat lies.
A Stanford University study compared statistics from more than 200 “sanctuary” counties between 2010 and 2015. The result was that deportations of nonviolent offenders do not increase crime rates. “Sanctuary policies do serve a protective function, but they do not come at the cost to public safety that their critics claim,” the study concludes.
Other studies by the University of New Mexico, Stanford and the Middle for American Growth reveal that the crime rate in “sanctuary cities” with a large percentage of immigrants is lower than that of other cities that work with ICE.
In the absence of data that confirms the position of their critics, they appeal to emotion, showing cases where the victim is American and the perpetrator is undocumented. They want to show that this is fashionable when it is usually an exception.
To be safe, a community needs to have trust in the police. Those who engage in politicking with immigration do not want to understand that.
