5/7/2007: Morning Intel News Brief: Cities that embrace Illegal
Aliens:

Washington D.C.'s police chief Charles H. Ramsey recently revealed
that the nation's capital, perhaps the highest on the list of targets
for terrorists, has a sanctuary policy in place. In August 2006
Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requesting
documents pertaining to the department's illegal immigration policies.
The department did not respond. Judicial Watch then filed a lawsuit on
March 8, 2007, which prompted Ramsey to write a public memo which
said:

"MPD [Metropolitan Police Department] officers are strictly prohibited
from making inquiries into citizenship or residency status for the
purpose of determining whether an individual has violated the civil
immigration laws or for the purpose of enforcing those laws...the MPD is
no in the business of inquiring about the residency status of the
people we serve and it not in the business of enforcing civil
immigration laws."

In the last year a handful New Jersey cities, Hightstown, Bridgeton,
Trenton and Newark, have embraced sanctuary policies. In July New
Haven, Connecticut will begin to issue "locally legal" identification
cards that will allow illegal aliens to access social services, apply
for bank accounts and rent property. 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. Congressional Research Service
listed 31 cities and counties that have "don't ask, don't tell"
sanctuary policies in place. They are:

Anchorage, Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
Chandler, Arizona
Fresno, California
Los Angeles, California
San Diego, California
San Francisco, California
Sonoma County, California
Evanston, Illinois
Cicero, Illinois
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Orleans, Massachusetts
Portland, Maine
Baltimore, Maryland
Takoma Park, Maryland
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Durham, North Carolina
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Aztec, New Mexico
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Sante Fe, New Mexico
New York, New York
Ashland, Oregon
Gaston, Oregon
Marion County, Oregon
Austin, Texas
Houston, Texas
Katy, Texas
Seattle, Washington
Madison, Wisconsin.

* Alaska and Oregon both have state-wide policies that forbid state
agencies from using resources to enforce federal immigration law.
Oregon law, however, does provide an exception to allow law
enforcement officers to share information on immigration status with
federal authorities with those arrested for criminal offenses.
When Congress takes up immigration legislation reform in the coming
months, lawmakers should find a way to punish sanctuary cities that
refuse to assist federal agents in enforcing immigration law. The
Senate is expected to debate on an immigration bill, yet to be
unveiled, during the last two weeks of May. The House is planning to
take up legislation introduced by Rep. Jeff Flake (R.-Ariz.) and Rep.
Luis Gutierrez (D.-Calif.) sometime in July. Detroit, like the other
cities who have enacted "don't ask, don't tell" immigration policies,
will likely move faster on their city-wide mandate than Congress will
be able to stiffen federal immigration laws.