To the Editor:
On Monday, Aug. 27, Illinois' Governor Bruce Rauner signed SB 31 into law that forbids the arrest or detainment of our nearly 500,000 illegal aliens and it shields them from federal immigration laws.
For those who are trying to convince Illinoisans that SB 32 is not a sanctuary bill, consider that Sanctuary policies are any policies that seek to frustrate, impede or prevent federal enforcement of immigration. By enacting SB 31, Illinois took any discretion away from individual local governments, police departments and sheriffs to set their own policies and choose to comply with detainers or to consider immigration status as a basis for even the most temporary investigative stop. Merely because the bill did not also impose every other conceivable sanctuary policy doesn’t mean it didn’t make Illinois a sanctuary state. For anyone to say otherwise is simply playing word games.
In signing the bill, Governor Rauner has exposed Illinois citizens to potentially serious problems, which Rauner will now own, and which will not benefit him in his re-election bid.
Facts do not lie.
The Department of Justice data shows that more than 90 percent of foreign-born prisoners currently in the United States are illegal immigrants. It also indicates that about 24 percent of the entire federal prison population are foreign born: 45,493 to be exact. Of those, just 3,939 are U.S. citizens; the remaining 41,554 are in the United States illegally.
Apparently, those who break one law are more likely to break more, which is a fact states like California and Illinois officials should have considered before protecting and even granting special favors.
The facts speak for themselves. Illegal immigrants have cost California citizens a whopping $30.29 billion a year. That is $7,352 per immigrant. Did Governor Rauner consider that once illegal immigrants learn Illinois has become a sanctuary state, there will be an influx of new immigrants flooding into the state? Can Illinois afford what this will cost? Do Illinoisans really want their taxes spent on foreign illegals, or would they rather they be used for needed improvement on state infrastructure projects?
California has proven what the next surprise will likely be: a series of tax increases to pay for the costs of this Governor’s altruistic but misguided gesture.
Certainly Illinois state officials must be aware of the negative consequences California has endured, so why make the same mistakes? Perhaps it is for self-serving reasons. Consider that California's “undocumented illegal immigrants” are grateful to the politicians who help them at taxpayer expense. They have an interest in keeping these officials in office, which is also true of Illinois, with an added nod from Republicans who are swayed by the demands of Big Business for a supply of cheap labor.
Obviously, non-citizens are forbidden to vote. However, those who ignore one law often ignore other laws too. This applies to both illegal immigrants as well as the politicians, because both have chosen to ignore our long-held, established immigration laws.
Consider that California state officials have continually changed even more laws to accommodate their rising illegal immigrant population. They even rewarded those here illegally with driver's licenses. California officials also made it easy for illegal immigrants to vote.
First they gave the law breakers the right to get a California driver's license. While at the DMV, they also provided them with a voter registration form which can be filled out, sent to the state, and the recipient will be automatically sent a “Vote by Mail” ballot the following election cycle.
There is no way the voter registrar can identify the mailed-in ballot as one from an “illegal," because the California State Department did not send the voter registrar any documentation as to the name or addresses of the illegals granted the California driver's licenses and voter registration form.
Outrageous? Most honest people would say absolutely and wonder how or why California state officials allowed it, and/or why the media has ignored reporting it to the public. Most Californians are not aware of the shocking changes in their laws, as Leftist media sources choose what and how to frame information they print.
Not to be outdone, SB 1933, signed into law by Governor Rauner on Monday, August 28, reforms Illinois' current registration laws so that whenever an eligible Illinois citizen applies for, updates, or renews a driver’s license or state ID, he or she will be automatically registered to vote at their new address. It rivals California for being the most far-reaching automatic voter registration law in the country.
Forecasting Illinois' future
Illinois residents should look to California as to what else they can expect in the future. My friend, Bonnie O'Neil, a resident of Newport Beach, Calif., informed me that in Santa Ana, the county seat, the City Council is now comprised of all Hispanics, some may not even be legal American citizens. The Santa Ana City Council recently declared themselves a “Sanctuary City.” Sadly, this city is not the exception, it is just one of many examples of Southern California cities where the demographics have drastically changed along with the culture.
As to what has happened in Orange County, California, which had always been a Republican county up until the recent 2016 election, results showed an unexpected surge in Democrat voters, attributed to the massive illegal immigrant population. Further reported is that the media has remained strangely silent on most all of these facts, including Santa Ana’s alarming increase of dangerous Hispanic gangs and major crime activity in the city. Are Illinois residents prepared for these inevitable changes?
Shame on our elected officials
Our forefathers were brilliant and the proof is seen in the success of our Constitution and the laws the founders enacted, including those regarding immigration, which propelled America into becoming the leader of the world. Why are these successful laws now being challenged, changed and/or ignored? Shame on our elected officials for their lack of concern for American citizens, our established laws, and this nation’s heritage. All Illinoisans should be disgusted by this shameful new legislation that grants rights to those who violate(d) our laws, rewards "anchor" babies and allows "chain migration."
The 2016 election proved most American voters are disgusted with the lack of immigration law enforcement. Donald Trump was elected largely due to his promise to control our borders and deport illegal immigrants, especially those convicted of additional crimes while in the United States.
Sadly, most Democrats, and a few Illinois and California Republican leaders, have been willing to ignore established immigration rights and defy our Federal laws. Trump was the outsider; the non-politician who resonated with the growing dissatisfaction of our people. All politicians should consider this and take these facts very seriously.
What recourse do law-abiding patriots have when elected officials blatantly show disrespect for our laws? We can remember the names of these politicians, inform and enlighten our friends, neighbors, and relatives, and then vote for their opponents at the next election. For the sake of America, it is imperative we all become educated voters who choose our leaders wisely.
Consider this quote from President Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. . . ." Our country will remain powerful only if its citizens vote wisely. We the people determine this country’s future and our own fate.
Nancy J. Thorner
Lake Bluff