Breaking: Posthumus And Kunse Refuse To Commit To Opposing Kent County Sheriff's Controversial "Sanctuary" Policies For Illegals

By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)

State Representatives Bryan Posthumus and Tom Kunse are the only legislators so far who refuse to commit to supporting strong immigration policies that would end Kent County's "sanctuary" policies. 

Ruby Garcia's murder at the hands of an illegal last week in Grand Rapidshas caused controversy nationwide.

West Michigan Politics is asking legislators:

 🕵️ Do you support Matt Hall's legislation (House Bill 4880) to ban sanctuaries for illegals in Michigan?

🕵️Do you support efforts to make sure Kent County, Kalamazoo County, and ALL municipalities in Michigan hold illegals who have been arrested until ICE can arrive, under established ICE operational guidelines?44

Kusne and Posthumus both affirmed they support Hall's legislation, but refuse to call out the controversial policies of the Kent County Sheriff.

Kent County officials dispute the "sanctuary" designation, but a 2019 report from the Detroit Free Press details why ICE and President Trump's White House thought otherwise.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the White House criticized a county in Michigan this week for having what they called a “sanctuary” policy which they said threatens public safety by not holding immigrants for ICE beyond their release date without a judicial warrant. 
In January, Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young told ICE that her department will not agree to immigrant detainer requests from ICE unless they have a judicial warrant from a judge. Her move came amid an uproar from civil rights advocates after Grand Rapids Police and Kent County had handed over to ICE a Latino suspect born in the U.S. who was a U.S. citizen and Marine veteran, Jilmar Ramos-Gomez.
ICE says the new policy by the Kent County Sheriff is dangerous; civil rights advocates defended the sheriff’s move.
Kent County’s policy change “negatively impacts public safety and ICE’s efficiency in the apprehension of criminal aliens,” ICE said. The federal immigration agency said opponents of detainers without warrants “wish to undermine immigration enforcement and excuse the ill-conceived practices of sanctuary jurisdictions that put politics before public safety.”

____________________________________________

Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.

>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com