Texas Governor Greg Abbott should add Lansing, Michigan to his list of sanctuary cities that receive buses and planes with illegal aliens on board. A Democrat running to fill Rep. Elissa Slotkin doesn't think local law enforcement should help ICE detain illegal aliens.

Governor Abbott should give the people of Lansing what they want. Lansing is the only sanctuary city in Michigan. Michigan is not a sanctuary state. Along with Lansing, several counties are sanctuary counties. Texas has plenty of illegal aliens that Governor Abbott shares with sanctuary cities. Why should Texas have to do Joe Biden's job alone?

Curtis Hertel, Jr. served as a Michigan state senator. He also served on Governor Gretchen Whitmer's staff. He is the only Democrat running for Slotkin's seat. She is running for the U.S. Senate. He opposes local governments in Michigan reporting illegal aliens to federal immigration authorities. He supported Lansing's decision to declare itself a sanctuary city. He said so during an April 2017 conversation with City Pulse - a Lansing area news outlet. "It can make Lansing an unwelcoming place for people who look different from you or I." 

That's the Democrats' point of view. They are more concerned about not being welcoming enough to people who are in our country illegally than they are about the rule of law. Illegal aliens broke the law as their first action in the United States. Democrats want to welcome them into communities despite their potential threat to public safety. Imagine how nonsense like that from Hertel land with immigrants legally entering the United States and following the legal procedures to remain here. Where's the concern for them?

Given a hypothetical situation involving an illegal immigrant who was questioned by authorities during a routine traffic stop, Hertel said he believes local law enforcement officers should not make the call to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to inquire about the individual's immigration status.

"One, I don't like the term ‘illegal’," Hertel said. "A lot of these people have been here a long time. A lot of them, it wasn't their choice to come here. They were brought here as children. In my opinion, those that risk and sacrifice so much who just wanted to be part of the American experience have earned a status among Americans that a lot of us haven't earned just by being born here. They want America. So no, I don't believe that we should be calling ICE and actually being involved in that process, I don't."

He told the City Pulse: "They don't want the immigration status to be determined by police officers and I think that's probably a good thing… asking people for papers and all of those things could make Lansing an unwelcoming place for people that look different than you or I. We don't want that in Lansing."

He did say he favored contacting federal immigration authorities if an illegal alien commits a crime and is "dangerous." What a flex. The illegal alien already committed a crime when he or she entered the United States outside a legal port of entry. How about we find out who they are and where they are before another crime is committed?

Not all illegal aliens are violent or commit crimes after their original crime of illegally entering the country. That doesn't mean they should get to stay in the country without consequences. If illegal aliens are not automatically deported, as they should be, then they should at least be detained and properly vetted. 

This is an election year so the  National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) released a statement. It says that Hertel has lost his mind.

While illegal border crossings are hitting record highs, Curtis Hertel doesn’t think local police departments should report illegal immigrants to federal authorities, stating “the city of Lansing does not want their police officers to be immigration officials.”

This is a matter of life and death. More innocent victims like Laken Riley could die because of the dangerous sanctuary policies Curtis Hertel supports. Hertel even claimed that he “doesn’t like the term ‘illegal'” and “asking people for papers and all of those things could make Lansing an unwelcoming place.”

“Curtis Hertel has officially lost his mind. While Hertel wants to make it easier for illegal migrants to commit crimes, innocent victims like Laken Riley are being brutally murdered because of the dangerous sanctuary policies he supports.” – NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella

Heh. Yeah, but he isn't the only one. That is the position of most Democrats these days. It is the party of open borders and lawlessness. This is Biden's America.