The White House announced yesterday that deportation orders would be executed on illegal alien individuals and families in multiple cities this weekend. (Why we’re tipping all of them off remains a mystery.) While I suppose it was sadly inevitable, this led to some immediate pushback from Democratic mayors in these urban population centers, along with some governors. The first I heard of it was when Chicago’s new mayor, who is battling a staggering murder rate in her city, had the police tweet out that she would be forbidding Chicago PD cooperation with ICE.

Then the mayors and governors of other large cities and states jumped on the bandwagon. These included New York, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. (New York Post)

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has joined with a growing number of elected officials across the country in opposing the Trump administration’s reported plan to begin ICE raids early Sunday targeting illegal alien families.

Cuomo called the plans “shameful and wholly unacceptable” in a statement issued Friday night. Mayor Bill de Blasio and the mayors of Chicago, Washington, DC and Los Angeles also condemned the threat and promised aide to affected families.

“We will fight back at every turn to protect our immigrant families,” Cuomo promised. “New York will continue to be the beacon of inclusion and diversity that the nation and the world looks to.”

The Mayor of New York City took time out from campaigning for the presidency (and not managing affairs in the Big Apple) to tweet out his defiance as well.

Washington DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued similar condemnations.

First of all, none of these statements are anything new and likely don’t cause any concerns for ICE. These are all sanctuary cities where Democrats generally forbid any cooperation with immigration enforcement. It’s not as if ICE was anticipating having the cops come out and help them to begin with.

But more to the point, it should still come as something of a shock to hear such clear declarations in support of lawlessness from the chief executives of numerous large cities. They can talk all they like about “tearing families apart” or driving people “into the shadows.” The fact of the matter is that we’re discussing individuals (and families) who have already had the opportunity to make their case in court, have had their status determined and been issued orders of deportation. Rather than following those orders, they knowingly chose to remain in the country illegally and have been legally subject to arrest and deportation ever since.

So what these mayors and governors are doing is issuing declarations stating that they stand on the side of people breaking the law and not law enforcement. When you are elected mayor, one of your primary responsibilities is to be in charge of law enforcement, not to thwart it. You don’t get to pick and choose which laws you will or won’t enforce. But the new normal in Democrat-run urban centers is something different and contrary to the rule of law.