Putnam Sheriff Wants to Rid Country of Sanctuary Cities
The Putnam County Legislature’s Health, Social, Educational and Environment Committee is supportive of the efforts by Sheriff Donald Smith to call for the federal government to deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes and are seeking to have the full legislature pass a formal resolution of support.
Smith, who addressed the committee on Nov. 9, said he has been an active member of the New York State and National Sheriffs’ Associations and their effort on immigration law enforcement.
“The primary mission of every level of government is to protect their citizens,” Smith said.
Smith said the federal government must deport illegal immigrants who have committed crimes. Smith said major crimes have been committed by those in America illegally who were previously convicted of committing crimes but was not deported.
“It affects the entire country,” he said. Being in the United States illegally is a violation, not a felony, unless that person has committed a crime, Smith said.
Smith said he has been active with his fellow sheriffs on both a state and national levels by such means as contributing newspaper articles on the importance of having the federal government remove illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
Smith criticized “Sanctuary Cities,” such as New York City, which he said were protecting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes.
Committee Chair Barbara Scuccimarra asked what Sanctuary Communities do in relation to undocumented immigrants. Smith said those communities are not enforcing the immigration laws and are not contacting the federal government when an illegal immigrant has been convicted of a crime. “It makes us less safe,” he said. The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be allowed by local governments “to do its job,” Smith said.
After listening to Smith’s comments, legislators agreed to have Smith help craft a resolution in support of federal action to remove illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes, with the possibility of having the Legislature to pass it on to other government bodies for their potential endorsement. Smith said the concept of a resolution was “a wonderful idea” and he would work on it and bring it back to the committee.
Southeast Councilwoman Lynne Eckardt asked if the majority of drug arrests come from undocumented immigrants, to which the sheriff replied a lot aren’t illegal immigrants.
Eckardt said while no one is in favor of illegal immigration, nobody wants to go back to the “Greg Ball days.” The ex-state senator made it a central issue of his campaigns, vilifying many illegal immigrants, especially in the Village of Brewster.
Smith said his biggest concern is illegal immigrants that committed multiple crimes and are released back into the public.
