So last week the mayors of four sanctuary cities — Boston, Chicago, New York, and Denver— were called on the carpet to be questioned by members of Congress regarding their obstructionist policies towards federal immigration enforcement.
The responses were slippery, defiant, and typical of the current crop of virtue-signaling yahoos who have taken over our cities. The prospects for common sense to re-emerge in these towns is grim at best.
So what’s to be done?
First, let’s acknowledge something: giving up on these cities is a bad idea. As we’ve written of before, America’s cities are still the nation’s economic and cultural engines. Sure, they have problems. But they remain our centers of innovation, commerce, and (legal!) immigrant aspiration. We should not cede them to a crop of progressives who are hyper-engaged and committed. They are the minority. Alas, these days the majority is often cowed into silence or, more importantly, doesn’t turn out to vote.
Now, Donald Trump has some levers to pull here. He can cut funding, as he has done to punish Columbia University for allowing blatantly antisemitic (and illegal) demonstrations to continue there (why the hell was Columbia getting $400 million in federal funds anyway? They have nearly a $15 billion endowment).
Trump could also attempt to corral Congress into passing some version of a bill to outlaw sanctuary cities. The problem there is that the term “sanctuary city” is very ill-defined. Any such law would run into all sorts of time-consuming complications. And many on the libertarian right may kick because of perceived federal intrusion on states’ rights.
But another possible tactic is this: use the inherent supremacy of federal law to simply blow through the obstructive practices of these cities.
Currently, the Trump administration’s policy is “the worst, first”; that is, to arrest and deport those illegals who have committed serious crimes while here. The vast majority of Americans support this.
The challenge the feds face is often in simply finding the bad guys. Many are transients who are in and out of the local court systems. And an aspect common to all sanctuary cities is that they won’t notify the feds of an illegal in custody.
And therein the opportunity. Court appearances are public domain information, accessible on law enforcement databases. These appearances put a criminal in a particular place at an appointed time.
So the feds should (a) monitor these databases; and (b) obtain removal warrants from a federal judge on any such subject.
Then simply show up in court and tell the locals — including the judge — to get the hell out of the way.
I had a recent conversation with a senior federal official, who, when this tactic was proposed, told me that the bosses in DHS haven’t been doing that in New York because they fear being arrested on state charges themselves.
If this is true, one can only imagine the reaction of Donald Trump’s team (including Kristi Noem) to hearing that. Especially when you consider that obstructing federal agents executing a lawful warrant is itself a federal crime.
The jurisdiction of the federal government is the United States. It doesn’t stop at the door of a state or local courthouse.
Set up a team of lawyers and analysts to locate migrant criminals in the custody of state systems. Show up with a warrant at court or even at a city jail. Demand the body.
Anyone that obstructs — arrest. Including the judge.
The law is clear. What seems to be lacking is the nerve.
Newark Shooting
Officer Joseph Azcona was 26 years-old and, according to his mother, always wanted to be a cop. This past Saturday, he and his patrol partner were responding to a report of someone with a firearm outside a McDonald’s when they were met with 29 shots before they were even able to exit their car.
There are questions embedded in this tragic narrative that need to be answered.
First: What was the information this patrol team was responding to? As of this writing, the reporting is that the shooter is a 14-year-old, currently in custody along with five others. Further, the gun is being reported as an “automatic” — meaning, essentially, a machine gun of some sort.
Was this information — that a large group had gathered with a machine gun — conveyed to Officer Azcona and his partner? If that intel was indeed available — and some reports are saying so — why was only a single patrol team sent on such a heavy gun run?
Further: If indeed there was only one shooter, and it was the 14 year-old, this appears to mean that not only was this juvenile on the street with a machine gun, but that he opened fire with it simply upon seeing a marked police car.
That scenario reeks of gang activity, and of a 14-year-old attempting to impress his buddies. Was this a gang or drug-prone location? If this kid was indeed trying to show off to affiliated gang members: Which gang?
Does Newark track their gang population? Or have they, like the New York City Council, decided that a gang database that tracks gang members who openly advertise their criminal affiliation is somehow unconscionable?
And if this is in fact a gang-related incident: Was the gang one affiliated with migrants, like Tren de Aragua or MS-13?
All this is, admittedly, speculation; these are questions, not answers. But in light of incidents like this murder in a sanctuary city last month (and Newark is indeed a sanctuary city), they’re questions that should not be lightly dismissed.
As per the Fraternal Order of Police, 2023 saw 378 cops shot in the line of duty — a new record — with 115 of those being ambush attacks.
The unmistakable conclusion from all this is that the trend that progressives kicked off with the 2020 “summer of love” continues. Perhaps never before has shooting at cops been so glamorized. It is, to many, something to aspire to.
And clearly, the kids got the message.
Hey Elon — DOGE These Two!
So this past week Donald Trump called for the findings of the investigation into his atempted assassination in Butler, PA last year to be released. We agree. But we also hope any such release goes beyond simply the shooter, Thomas Crooks. Here’s why.
We recently had the great misfortune of hearing Alejandro Mayorkas once again impersonate law enforcement — this time, during an interview at the Harvard Kennedy School. (Apparently, the border was secure all along — we all just fell for the wrong “narrative”).
The incompetence of Mayorkas is now the stuff of legend. When one considers that he presided over FEMA, the U.S. Secret Service, and Border Patrol… well, what can be said?
But what still rankles is the lack of transparency regarding Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheadle’s trip to Aspen during last year’s Republican National Convention — while Mayorkas was her boss.
To recap, this is how it went down:
As head of DHS, it’s Mayorkas’s job to designate the RNC as a special national security event, meaning it has highest priority for federal security measures;
Two days before the event is to commence, Donald Trump is scheduled to give a Saturday speech in Butler, Pennsylvania;
As Trump is at the time not only the Republican nominee but a former President, the Secret Service is running the security for the speech and for the RNC;
Secret Service Director Cheadle flies to Aspen to attend the Aspen Security Conference (which just happens to coincide with the RNC). Cheadle is there that Saturday when Trump is shot; her scheduled speech at the conference is Wednesday;
When questioned after the shooting, Cheadle claims she went to the conference; was going to fly back to Milwaukee for the commencement of the RNC; then fly back to Aspen for her Wednesday speech. Then, presumably, she would fly back to Milwaukee for the official nomination.
Right.
As a taxpayer, I want to know: Did Cheadle take her own plane? How much of an entourage did she bring with her? Where were they staying? How many rooms? At what rate?
What did all this cost the American taxpayer?
And did Mayorkas, as her boss, approve all this? Not only the expenditures, but having his USSS head in Aspen during one of the few special national security events of the year? One being run by her agency?
Kim “the roof was sloped” Cheadle has since disappeared into a well-deserved obscurity. (That is, I’m sure, until Harvard gives her a teaching gig).
But Mayorkas continues to skate on his serial ball-drops as head of DHS. In fact, he dines out on them, during credulous interviews like this one.
President Trump is right — we need answers regarding the Butler, PA debacle. All the answers.
Send up the DOGE bat-signal.
Sunday Pod: Legendary NYPD Detective and Actor, Randy Jurgensen
If you’ve watched any of the classic cop films over the last decades, you know Randy Jurgensen — you just don’t realize it.
He advised Gene Hackman on how to portray an NYPD narco detective in The French Connection…. He got to shoot James Caan in The Godfather…. And Al Pacino portrayed him in the groundbreaking Hollywood film, Cruising.
And if you don’t know him — you will now. Join us for Part One of our interview with Detective Jurgensen, who seems to have been at or near every major case in New York in the turbulent 1960’s and 70’s…. And on every major movie set as well.
Click below for a preview, and HERE for the full pod…!
RIP Gene Hackman
We’ve all speculated enough about what actually happened to Gene Hackman and his devoted wife, Betsy Arakawa. As The Ops Desk boys accurately prognosticated here, it looks like there’s no evidence of foul play.
There’s also this piece, where this writer made several predictions (including about a possible visit to a pharmacy) that look to be borne out.
The likeliest scenario: Betsy had contracted the hantavirus and felt flu-like symptoms, but didn’t think it was that serious; she awoke feeling awful and went to the kitchen to take some of the pills that were later found scattered around her; the hantavirus overcame her and she passed out.
And poor Gene — suffering from advanced dementia — did not have the faculties to react or care for himself. His weak heart ultimately gave out, likely exacerbated by dehydration.
We don’t take too many victory laps in this space. But we’re glad to have tamped down some of the crazy theories that were abroad in the wake of the discovery of the bodies. By all accounts, this one looks to be a tragedy — not a crime.
And finally…
The Republicans’ greatest secret weapon remains: the Democrats.
Back in the day, Eddie Eagan got more publicity than the PC. As a result, that’s what led to Eagan’s dismissal. Not sure if that’s true. Great post.
Great stack my friends!