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Senate Committee Rejects Effort to Scapegoat Immigrants
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<p>by Sue Weishar, Ph.D.</p>
<p>In the recently ended regular session of the Louisiana legislature, immigrant advocates worked hard to convince state legislators that the bias-free policing policies adopted by the NOPD and Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office [1] did not make New Orleans a “sanctuary city,” and that a bill introduced to prohibit New Orleans’ bias-free law enforcement policies, HB 1148, should be opposed because it scapegoats immigrants and would undermine community safety.</p>
<p>Sanctuary is an ancient Christian tradition that ensures anyone who seeks the mercy of the Church will be protected. Unfortunately, nativist politicians have besmirched that term by implying that cities that have adopted bias-free law enforcement policies, like New Orleans, are “sanctuary cities” where an undocumented immigrant is not held accountable for crimes he/she may commit. That bias-free police policies do not in any way permit or encourage immigrants to commit crimes seemed lost on Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and State Representative Valerie Hodges, the major proponents of HB 1148.</p>
<p>When defending the bill in the Louisiana legislature the misinformation, fear-mongering, and scapegoating Landry and Hodges engaged in was stunning. The AG claimed that New Orleans law enforcement policies were creating a “safe harbor for terrorists,” defying both common sense and national security experts who understand that building trust between police and community members, including immigrants, is key to thwarting terrorist acts. He also asserted that “sanctuary city laws” will lead to an “automatic” increase in crime, even though cities with bias-free policing policies, like San Francisco, have seen their murder rates drop much more than similar cities without bias-free policing policies. His most outrageous assertion was that New Orleans law enforcement policies give undocumented immigrants “more rights than your average citizen.” Is it possible our state’s chief attorney is unaware of the rights and privileges of U.S. citizenship?</p>
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<p>In the recently ended regular session of the Louisiana legislature, immigrant advocates worked hard to convince state legislators that the bias-free policing policies adopted by the NOPD and Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office [1] did not make New Orleans a “sanctuary city,” and that a bill introduced to prohibit New Orleans’ bias-free law enforcement policies, HB 1148, should be opposed because it scapegoats immigrants and would undermine community safety.</p>
<p>Sanctuary is an ancient Christian tradition that ensures anyone who seeks the mercy of the Church will be protected. Unfortunately, nativist politicians have besmirched that term by implying that cities that have adopted bias-free law enforcement policies, like New Orleans, are “sanctuary cities” where an undocumented immigrant is not held accountable for crimes he/she may commit. That bias-free police policies do not in any way permit or encourage immigrants to commit crimes seemed lost on Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and State Representative Valerie Hodges, the major proponents of HB 1148.</p>
<p>When defending the bill in the Louisiana legislature the misinformation, fear-mongering, and scapegoating Landry and Hodges engaged in was stunning. The AG claimed that New Orleans law enforcement policies were creating a “safe harbor for terrorists,” defying both common sense and national security experts who understand that building trust between police and community members, including immigrants, is key to thwarting terrorist acts. He also asserted that “sanctuary city laws” will lead to an “automatic” increase in crime, even though cities with bias-free policing policies, like San Francisco, have seen their murder rates drop much more than similar cities without bias-free policing policies. His most outrageous assertion was that New Orleans law enforcement policies give undocumented immigrants “more rights than your average citizen.” Is it possible our state’s chief attorney is unaware of the rights and privileges of U.S. citizenship?</p>
<p><a href="https://t.e2ma.net/message/j6ryk/r8611c">MORE>></a></p>