Cord Byrd satisfied with sanctuary cities ban, but says there’s still more work to be done
Rep. Cord Byrd wants drug cartels to be regarded as terror groups.

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"With regard to sanctuary cities, we've done what we can do."

Sen. Joe Gruters and Rep. Cord Byrd teamed up to push legislation banning so-called sanctuary cities through the Legislature this year.

On Friday, they will team up again as speakers at the Nassau County Republicans’ Lincoln Day Dinner.

Gruters, the chair of the Republican Party of Florida, will keynote the event, where he is certain to find a receptive audience at an event with a definite theme.

Byrd, who represents Nassau and Duval in the state House, said that an “Angel Family” will be in attendance at the dinner.

Indeed, that family (Kiyan and Bobby Michael) was key to helping lawmakers make the case that sanctuary policies often have unintended real-world consequences. The Michaels lost their son in 2007. He was killed by an undocumented immigrant. Gov. Ron DeSantis recognized them earlier this year in his State of the State speech as well.

“Had our laws simply been enforced, Bobby and Kiyan might not have had to bury their son … Let’s do right by the Michael family: Let’s prohibit sanctuary cities in Florida,” DeSantis said.

“I just think it’s important we show people this legislation affects real people,” Byrd said Wednesday in Jacksonville. “It’s not just an esoteric policy debate.”

“This is a family that lost a loved one and this is important to them,” Byrd said.

Byrd noted that opponents of the legislation “aren’t afraid to misconstrue what the bill does.”

The “Rule of Law Adherence Act” requires state and local governments and law enforcement agencies … to support and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on detainer requests and short-term incarceration will no longer be optional for localities.

“Not once did they question my argument on constitutionality,” Byrd noted, “or on case law, where the Supreme Court has already ruled on these types of administrative warrants.”

“They used hyperbole and misinformation,” Byrd said, “and now it’s time for law enforcement to enforce the law.”

A question going into 2020: Was the current bill enough of a remedy?

“With regard to sanctuary cities, we’ve done what we can do,” Byrd said.

But the larger immigration debate, Byrd added, is not over.

“There’s more that we can do at the state level,” Byrd said, and he and Gruters are exploring options for next Session.

Those interested in hearing more from Gruters and Byrd can catch them at the Nassau County Lincoln Day dinner Friday.

The event, at Walker’s Landing – Amelia Island, kicks off with a 6 p.m. reception. Dinner and the program begins an hour later.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


3 comments

  • ALLISON

    May 24, 2019 at 9:24 pm

    THE STAMPEDE AT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER:
    Lets see, we have Democrat / Socialist / Activists in the Northern Triangle of South America & Mexico; even as you read this instructing the populations the “benefits” & laws of coming to the USA and to make sure you bring your children and use the the magic words…..”credible fear.”

    Then you have a Democrat House saying the crisis is “manufactured” as literally thousands attack our border daily? National Sovereignty is a myth to Democrats. The crisis is manufactured…by the Democrats themselves. Make no mistake about this, Democrats want this to happen and never stop.. They will with hold border security support allowing as many illegal aliens to enter the country as possible overwhelming our BP & ICE before assisting in border security (if ever).

    THE LIE OF TPS / DACA:
    To Democrats/Progressives/Socialists (whats the difference?) programs like Temporary Protective Status (TPS) or Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals (DACA) or the “visa lottery” program (Chuck Schumer’s idea) are permanent programs. There is nothing “temporary or deferred” about these programs to Democrats. These programs are designed to admit refugees (usually from the third world) then Democrats fight to keep them here permanently using the charge of racism, religion, guilt, against anyone opposed. Simple formula works great.

    The current migration at our border is costing taxpayers a Kings ransom. Fleeing persecution? or fleeing for freebies? they sure don’t stay in Mexico when they reach “safety” or ask or offered political asylum in Mexico. Why? because Mexico will give them NOTHING. So they make the long journey to our border, our generous Democrats, and our tax dollars. Notice how many have made the long, difficult, dangerous journey to our country 8-9 months pregnant?

    Just a few examples of the more outrageous costs associated with illegal immigration, we will pass this burden on to our children & grand children as has been passed on to us.

    * City emergency services Taxpayer pay for every police, fire, paramedic service call for illegal aliens in their city. Taxpayers also pay for all hospital, emergency room treatments, ambulances, medications….everything. Hospital wait times for citizens are negatively impacted.

    *Cost of educating illegal aliens is staggering. From K-12 it costs taxpayers on average $122,000 for EACH illegal alien student. This does not include the millions spent on bilingual ED, instructors, special need children & day care. It is estimated nearly 100,000 illegal aliens graduate each year……you do the math. School class size are also negatively impacted by illegal aliens and our students suffer as a result.

    *Taxpayers in some states are funding “in state college tuition” discounts for illegal aliens. (AZ voted to terminate this taxpayer expense.) Cost to taxpayers over a billion dollars annually.

    *About one in five inmates in federal prison are foreign-born, & more than 90% of those are in the U.S illegally. This does not include local jails and state prisons. At roughly $24,000 per year expense per inmate.

    *$3Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate, process Illegal aliens in the criminal justice system.

    *$2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on is spent on food assistance programs such as SNAP, WIC, & taxpayer funded school lunches.

    *Mexico received 33 billion last year in remittance from our country. $120 billion total was sent out of the United States in total remittance last year.

    *Every child birth by illegal aliens in the U.S is paid for with tax dollars.In the US, the average cost to have a baby without complications during delivery, is $10,808, which can increase to $30,000 when factoring in care provided before and after pregnancy (July 9, 2018 google.)

    * Section 8 housing. Illegal aliens take full advantage of this program. Citizens & their families in poverty in many cases wait years behind non citizens for emergency housing.

  • KC Schmidt

    May 24, 2019 at 10:04 pm

    Democrat 2020 Platform & Goals:

    -Open Borders.
    -Sanctuary Cities.
    -Elimination of ICE
    -Disarming Americans.
    -Infanticide.
    -Voting rights for illegal aliens.
    -Pack the courts with radical liberal judges (Like the 9th circuit)
    -Increase refugee’s from the third world.
    -Illegal aliens allowed to hold public office.
    -Socialism.
    -Free Abortions for all (Taxpayer funded)
    -The green new deal.
    -End of Electoral College
    -Free Medicare care for all including non citizens (taxpayer funded)
    -Raise Minimum Wage
    -Have adolescents vote
    -!00% free college for all, including non citizens. (tax payer funded)
    -Reparations for every race “harmed” by the white man.
    -Convicts, Terrorists voting.
    -Susie & Bobby using the same restrooms.
    -Late term abortions.
    -Pay check for every person in the US even if they choose not to work.

    *Sources: Straight from the Democrat’s mouths.

Comments are closed.


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