Pros And Cons Of Sanctuary Cities

In the current race for Governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as nationally, sanctuary cities are becoming a hot-button issue. Democratic candidate, Ralph Northam, has recently flip-flopped his position on this topic. While taking part in the Virginia state Senate, Northam supported the importance of reporting illegal immigrants to federal authorities. However, after becoming Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, his positions have changed dramatically, including his support for driver's licenses for illegals and his support of instate tuition for children of undocumented immigrants. Previously, Northam cast a tie breaking vote against a bill that would ban sanctuary cities in Virginia. In a recent debate against the Republican candidate, Ed Gillespie, Northam refused to state that he would ban sanctuary cities if elected. There are numerous reasons why sanctuary cities are found to be a problem within today’s society. Some examples are they conflict with existing federal immigration laws, they are providing rights, protection, and provisions to people who are here illegally, they prevent federal, local, and state law enforcement from doing their jobs effectively; not to mention, the fact that it is an affront to every immigrant …show more content…
The problem becomes when we stop controlling the flow of immigrants into our country. If we let everybody in, we don’t know who’s a criminal and who’s not. They have no ID and no documentation, we simply don’t know if they are here for an act of terrorism or if they are here to better their lives. Sanctuary cities want to protect illegal immigrants from everything starting with simple questioning and background checks, to deportation. Some sanctuary cities in different parts of the country go as far as offering many of the basic rights, benefits, and resources of American citizens to illegal

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