Seattle Sues to Get Federal Money While Harboring Illegals

By streiff | 4:00 PM on March 30, 2017

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Seattle City Council member Sally Bagshaw, left, looks on as Mayor Ed Murray speaks at a news conference detailing a proposed property-tax levy to raise $275 million over five years to fight homelessness, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Seattle. Murray said that the plan focuses on housing with more than two-thirds of the money providing short-, medium- and long-term housing through rental subsidies. Money raised would also expand substance abuse treatment and expand so-called navigation teams of officers and experts who go out to connect people with housing and other services, among other measures. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The mayor of Seattle has announced that he will be suing the US government over President Trump’s decision to not award federal grants to state and local governments who do not cooperate with ICE agents. This should be unremarkable. Federal money goes out in grant agreements. The agreement stipulates what the city will do in exchange for the money. All the grant applications have numerous riders that require the grant recipient to adhere to all manner of federal policies. This is the way Common Core has become embedded in the nation’s education system. If a grantee will not agree to abide by the terms of the grant they don’t get the money. Simple concept, no?

The city of Seattle on Wednesday announced a federal lawsuit over the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal grants to so-called “sanctuary cities,” citing the 10th Amendment that deals with states’ rights.

“Apparently the Trump administration, their war on facts, has now become a war on cities,” Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said. He said the goal of the suit is to have a judge declare the order unconstitutional.
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“Let me be clear about the facts: We are not breaking any laws and we are prioritizing safety,” Murray said.

King County (see page 31 of the report) will only honor ICE detainers if someone has been convicted of a serious felony or if there is an outstanding criminal warrant. If a person is picked up on suspicion of anything, like murder, for instance, and they aren’t charged but they are illegal, Seattle will not honor an ICE detainer. So they may not be breaking the law but they are refusing to assist federal agents… at no cost of manpower or funds… in the enforcement of immigration laws. And this mayor is not prioritizing safety because he has the ability to remove dangerous people from his city and is electing to put them back on the street.

The case has a hearing on April 14. We already know the outcome. A federal judge is going to cite Trump’s desire to build a border wall, claim the executive order is illegal, and impose an injunction. Because that is where we are as a society.