Feds, city blast ‘dangerous’ sanctuary city warnings in D.C.
By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Updated: 12:59 p.m. on Thursday, June 1, 2017
Government officials lashed out Thursday against the perpetrator who posted notices in downtown Washington, D.C., urging residents to report suspected illegal immigrants, saying they were “dangerous” fakes.
“Tear it down!” Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Twitter as reports of the flyers trickled in. “DC is a sanctuary city. Clearly the flyer is meant to scare and divide our residents.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency that the flyers claimed to be from, also quickly shot down the flyers’ authenticity, saying it’s not something they did, and saying it was counterproductive.
“Just like false reports of immigration checkpoints or random sweeps, notices like these are dangerous and irresponsible,” an agency spokeswoman said. “Any person who actively incites panic or fear of law enforcement is doing a disservice to the community, endangering public safety and the very people they claim to support and represent.”
The District of Columbia declines to fully cooperate with federal immigration agents, earning it the moniker of a sanctuary city from enforcement advocates. The mayor eagerly embraces that title.
Sanctuaries argue that if they cooperate, it will break the trust they’ve built with immigration communities.
Federal officials, including the previous Obama administration, instead say that shielding illegal immigrants and refusing to cooperate puts more dangerous criminal out in communities.
The new flyers that popped up Thursday have the logo of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws in the interior of the country. The flyers list phone numbers for both ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the border agency.
The flyers urge residents to report illegal activity, including “illegal aliens.” The flyers also warn against “aiding or abetting” illegal immigrants.
“Please know that these are not real,” Ms. Bowser tweeted.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...y-city-flyers/
D.C. delegate requests federal probe over bogus immigration warnings
By Andrew Blake - The Washington Times - Saturday, June 3, 2017
Eleanor Holmes Norton, the congressional delegate for Washington, D.C., asked the FBI on Friday to investigate the appearance of bogus U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leaflets within the nation’s capital this week warning residents against harboring “illegal aliens.”
“I believe that whoever created and posted these fliers did so in violation of several federal laws,” Ms. Norton wrote to FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe on Friday.
“The fake fliers were clearly designed to convey the impression of authenticity, and I believe they were posted in order to target and intimidate immigrants and their families living in the District,” she added. “D.C. is a city that welcomes and provides sanctuary to people from all over the world, and we believe a federal investigation to determine who is responsible is fully warranted.”
The fake ICE posters were first spotted plastered on light poles and utility boxes around the city on Thursday this week, provoking heated reactions from the city’s Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser, in addition to the agency itself.
“Tear it down!” Miss. Bowser tweeted Thursday morning. “Clearly the flyer is meant to scare and divide our residents.”
“Just like false reports of immigration checkpoints or random sweeps, notices like these are dangerous and irresponsible,” an ICE spokeswoman added. “Any person who actively incites panic or fear of law enforcement is doing a disservice to the community, endangering public safety and the very people they claim to support and represent.”
Indeed, Ms. Norton wrote in Friday’s letter than the person or persons responsible for the posters may have violated a couple of federal laws in the course of conducting the stunt – impersonating a federal officer and forging government seals are both illegal, she wrote Mr. McCabe.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...er-bogus-immi/
