Dear Editor,

There are many reasons why Dow Constantine's promotion of King County as a "sanctuary" for illegal aliens is unwise.

Constantine helped move adoption of Ordinance #0393 on July 1.   Ord. #0393 will be further debated at council Wednesday, July 15, 9:30 a.m., King County Courthouse (10th Floor). 

Concerned citizens are encouraged to attend and shine sunshine on this behavior.  No Seattle newspaper has yet to cover this story.

The major folly in branding King County a "sanctuary" for illegal aliens is that it will welcome additional illegal activity.  It will promote more fraudulently obtained drivers licenses.  It will promote more Social Security Number theft that all illegals commit to obtain employment and to dodge income taxes.

"Sanctuary" branding will promote more theft of jobs from struggling legal Americans and legal immigrants even if these Americans happen to low-skilled youth.  For heaven's sake! 

The July 1 Herald oozed politician "press release" and "townhall" empathy over youth violence and the dirth of employment opportunities!   These self-same sanctuarians like City of Seattle "sanctuary" Mayor Nickels and Constantine have bred the problem and now propose "programs" and "initiatives" that will only raise our property taxes.  All the while we pay their salaries.  Such a gig! 

A "sanctuary" King County will stimulate more mooching off the taxpayer.  And, yes, the cost shift onto taxpayers can be blamed on all those employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens without paying medical benefits and without withholding taxes and Social Security.  I speak not just of McDonald's, who refuses to use E-Verify in contrast to Jack-in-the-Box whose use of E-verify protects itself and taxpayers against SSN fraud.  But I speak of every dear reader who hires illegals off the street for yard care or construction.  Thanks!  Illegals are now hanging out on the corner of Alaska and 44th!  (To learn more about E-verify see  www.RespectWashington.us)

The cost of subsidizing approximately 300,000 illegal aliens by the Washington State taxpayer is approaching $800 million annually.  Year 2008 Medicaid spending alone on illegals was $191 million; and that doesn't include the $16 million subsidy to illegals now enrolled in the state's Basic Health insurance plan at a time when needy legal Americans are being dropped from the plan or forced out by skyrocketing premiums!

It is time for council member Constantine to review his oath of office and refocus on the U.S. Constitution's "general welfare" clause and skip this campaign bet that a "sanctuary" vote will help him advance to the corner office of King County Executive.

Cosponsors Constantine, Phillips, Ferguson and Gossett know that sanctuary policies directly violate Federal law, Section 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) providing that "states and localities may not adopt policies, formally or informally, that prohibit employees from communicating with DHS regarding the immigration status of individuals."  They would violate their oath of office.

In his Wednesday testimony Constantine admitted a connection between illegal aliens and Ord. #0393 by mention of an "upsurge in gang crime that we are struggling mightily against in my district."  He also drew a connection between illegal aliens and the "next swine flu outbreak." 

Of course, Constantine's do-goodism and pander of Ord. #0393 is based upon a rationalization that we must continue spending millions on this population of criminals -- and they are very cognizant of their crimes and their welfare mooching.  No doubt, many in the illegal alien population have developed a false sense of entitlement due to politicians like Constantine condoning their criminal presence. 

So now Constantine is trapped in a logic that pushes him deeper into abetting unlawful presence, crimes by illegals and the defrauding of the taxpayer.

With skyrocketing unemployment, how can Constantine even consider taking up such an ordinance that would make it easier for illegal aliens to remain in King County and compete for jobs with citizens and legal immigrants?
 
If Constantine is beholden to corporations that push for unlimited growth through access to cheap labor or he is listening to race groups such as La Raza who are in bed with these corporations, then his support for a "sanctuary" King County makes sense.

Craig Keller
West Seattle