Senator Rand Paul has chimed in on “sanctuary cities” in light of the recent fatal shooting of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco. The city, which has become notorious for not detaining illegal immigrants, had released the shooter, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, in spite of the fact that he was wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a drug-related warrant.
Appearing on the Laura Ingraham Show this morning, Paul said the following:
Conservatives say we believe in the rule of law, and the beginning of the rule of law is enforcing the law. Since 1986, there was a promise we would enforce the law on border security. We’ve done squat. We’ve done nothing… Eleven million people have crossed over illegally. So, the first thing we have to do is enforce the law.
He went on to call out both parties and the current administration for failing to do their jobs.
[W]e have not had a president, Republican or Democrat, who is willing to enforce immigration law. Now we have whole cities and states who stand up and say, ‘We just don’t care. We want these people here at all costs, and we’re not going to do anything about it.’ And I think the time’s come for that to end. But it’s not going to end until you have an executive in the White House who says, ‘I will enforce immigration laws.’
Senator Paul joins fellow Republican candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in calling for an end to sanctuary cities. Notably, however, Paul has not defended Trump’s controversial statements about Mexican immigrants, as Cruz has.
