Who’s more out-of-touch?

It was earlier this week that we learned of a federal judge in Texas who issued an order that prevented a Texas state effort to prevent municipalities from declaring themselves to be sanctuary cities with regards to immigration policy.

Also earlier this week was the initiative signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner that declared all of Illinois to be something similar to a sanctuary place – one in which local police are prevented from harassing people because of suspicions about immigration law violations.

SO WHAT’S THE latest action? It seems we have six members of the Illinois General Assembly – all Republican and from communities of a less-urban composition – who are coming up with bills determined to repeal the Trust Act.

That was the measure that Rauner used to take his immigration-related action, and was one that received overwhelming support from the General Assembly.

So it may be very likely that these half-dozen legislators aren’t acting with serious hopes of actually getting anything undone. They just want to be sure they’re on the record as being on the side of the crackpots who want to view immigration law as an excuse to harass those who aren’t exactly like themselves.

Now for those who are saying to themselves, “That’s overly harsh!” or are thinking other obscene thoughts about me right now, I’m not apologetic.

“CRACKPOTS” IS ABOUT the nicest term I can use to describe these people, who clearly are putting themselves on the wrong side of the issue – just like all the people of a half-century or so ago who were determined to believe that the concept of segregation somehow had a place within our society.

Maybe some people just feel the need to create someone else to look down upon themselves, because otherwise they’d have to look at themselves and realize how little they contribute to our society?

My own viewpoint on the whole immigration issue and sanctuary cities, welcoming cities or whatever label you put on it is that it makes sense that local police enforce local law and federal immigration officials enforce the U.S. immigration policies.

GARCIA: Struck down Texas efforts

Seriously, I wouldn’t expect local cops to comprehend the nuances of immigration policy. I don’t think they should be expected to do something that is beyond their jurisdiction.

THE KIND OF people who would want local cops to get themselves involved in something that is beyond their scope are the kind who view police as the official thugs of municipal government – harassing those whom they object to.

Which most definitely is NOT what any responsible person should expect from their police. Or what any responsible law enforcement officer should have any desire to do.

Much of the cheap political rhetoric coming from the White House in this Age of Trump about sanctuary cities and wanting to revoke federal funding from those municipalities is truly pathetic. Only the most pathetic of pols are trying to side themselves up with it.

Because it’s pretty much a safe thing that those people some 50 years from now are going to come off looking absurd, if not downright ignorant.

WHICH IS WHY U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia issued the order on Wednesday that prevented Texas from enforcing its initiative to make sanctuary cities such as the now-completely-flooded-over Houston a prohibited concept.

CURIEL: Judge who infuriated Trump

I’m sure the crackpots are going to be spewing nonsense about Garcia similar to how Trump himself tried attacking federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel (an East Chicago, Ind., native) of California because of his rulings in that court case that ultimately found the concept of Trump University to be less-than-legitimate.

But that’s what too much of the immigration opposition rhetoric comes down to – trash talk that no one of intelligence can possibly take seriously.

And the day will come when state Reps. John Cabello of Rockford, David McSweeney of Barrington, C.J. Davidsmeyer of Jacksonville and David Reis of Olney, along with state Sens. Kyle McCarter of Lebanon and Tim Bivins of Dixon (as a former county sheriff, he in particular should know better) will regret how ridiculous they looked this week.

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