There is no doubt about the fact that we are a nation of laws, not of men. That's been said over and over again in the history of our country and, of course, we all know that if you have no laws... then you have anarchy.
Constitutionally, the role of the federal government is to protect its citizens and, accordingly, its borders. While a state has the right to determine who can live within its borders, the federal government has the right to determine who can cross our national borders and come into the country. So it naturally follows that if someone crosses our nation's borders illegally and without permission, the federal government has the right to chase them down and toss them out. The federal government also has the right to charge them with the crime of crossing our borders illegally and to penalize them for doing so.
It logically follows then that no state and no city has the right to stand in the way of that process by the federal government. Just like federal government officials, states and cities are bound by the requirement to uphold and defend our Constitution and to uphold and defend the laws of our nation.
That having been said, does the federal government have the right to deny funding to a city or state that is in violation of the law, i.e.: sanctuary city? I think that the legal grounds for such a decision are questionable, but even if not... the ethical issues are astounding. After all, by withholding funds who feels the pain? Is it the city officials, who continue to get their pay regardless; or is it the innocent citizens who receive declining government services and benefits?
From a civil law standpoint, the city officials can be charged by its citizens for misfeasance or malfeasance, fined and removed from office. Accordingly, I would think that the federal government can charge the city officials with violating federal law and/or with being complicit in helping others to violate the law.
In short, I agree that sanctuary cities and states are a violation of federal law and that cities and states must either comply or get the law changed. But to withhold funding is a bad idea; make the perpetrators pay the penalty, not the citizens.
That's MY AMERICAN OPINION, respectfully submitted.
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