A recently proposed Evanston city government resolution by Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) stands to turn Evanston into a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. Among other things, the resolution states that Evanston city officials and police officers “shall not make inquiries into immigration status for the sole purpose of determining whether an individual has violated the civil immigration laws.”
Now if Evanston is going to overtly violate the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, then I’d ask that they throw in a provision stating that liquor store owners “shall not make inquiries into the age status of those purchasing alcohol for the sole purpose of determining whether they are over the drinking age.”
But in all seriousness, residents of Evanston should be very concerned about this resolution and be ready to voice their opposition. Higher concentrations of illegal immigrants equate to higher crime rates and greater costs for the city. In Los Angeles, a hotbed of illegals, 95 percent of outstanding warrants for homicide are for illegal aliens. Up to two-thirds of all felony fugitive warrants (17,000 in 2004) are for illegal aliens.
Even though Census Bureau data indicates that the average illegal alien household pays more than $4,200 in federal taxes, they impose roughly $6,950 in costs, accounting to a net lose of more than $10 billion for the federal government annually. Paul Samuelson, a Nobel Prize-winning economist from MIT, says illegal immigration helps the wealthy, who can exploit cheap labor at the taxpayer’s expense, but makes the poor suffer by decreasing wages as the unskilled labor markets are flooded.
Beyond the statistics, there is something wrong with Evanston openly subsidizing illegal activities. Even though Evanston police do not currently investigate immigration status, a resolution of this nature would be a step in the wrong direction, solidifying support for illegal immigration and making a solution to the illegal immigration crisis one step farther away. Evanston should instead be taking initiative to enforce laws.
Illegal immigration can successfully be combated if local or state governments take initiative. Oklahoma passed the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 three months ago, which cut off all public benefits to illegal aliens and made it a felony to harbor them and has since seen a significant decrease in its illegal alien population. Beyond those who were benefiting from the tax-free cash transactions and cheap labor, the law has been well received, for it is anticipated to significantly reduce the annual $200 million cost that the state incurs from its illegal alien population.
What I found most upsetting about the Evanston resolution was its attempt to equate illegal and legal immigration. The resolution does not even contain the word “illegal.” Though an interesting propagandist move, blurring the difference disrespects the efforts legal immigrants. Sanctuary laws affect legal immigrants as negatively as anyone else. Being in America is not a universal right but a privilege. A resolution declaring amnesty undermines this principle, dishonors efforts of legal immigrants and makes the city more dangerous and less economically sound.
Weinberg freshman Cody Kittle can be reached at [email protected].
