Sheriff David Clarke tells conservatives to charge elected officials to end sanctuary cities
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. said Thursday he has a way to put a stop to sanctuary cities — use a federal statute to charge local officials for harboring aliens.
"I’m telling you right now folks, you charge one mayor, one governor, one council president that adopts these laws, this stuff is going to end right away," Clarke told activists gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, D.C.
Sanctuary cities is a term that applies to places that limit cooperation with federal authorities on immigration. Clarke said such places are "havens for criminal activity."
Clarke was speaking as part of a panel on "When Did World War III Begin?" and which dealt with "Threats at Home." The event was live-streamed.
The panel was moderated by the Daily Caller's Ginni Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
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In her introduction of Clarke, Thomas said, "Besides our president, I have to say I think he's (Clarke) the most authentic and influential voice in our culture and our politics."
Clarke praised President Donald Trump's policy to more stringently enforce the nation's immigration laws.
Clarke took aim at sanctuary cities, saying they "provide cover" for "criminal illegal aliens to continue to prey on not only law-abiding people but also illegal immigrants in this country."
"Here is why they’re able to do that with impunity," Clarke said. "Because if you were a criminal illegal alien and you rape, rob whatever another illegal alien in the country, it’s less likely that they’re going to report that because they don’t want to be discovered to be in the country themselves.
"So we have a lot of under reporting and unreported serious crimes in America because of sanctuary cities."
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Clarke said he supported Trump's policy to deport those undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes.
"And I’ve made it clear that in helping President Trump get his arms around this serious problem of illegal immigration that I was going to use the resources I have as the sheriff of Milwaukee County to help him accomplish that," Clarke said. "I have a duty to do that. I have a duty to protect the citizens of Milwaukee County because American citizens come first."
Clarke is scheduled to deliver a speech Saturday at the conference.
