If this weren’t so infuriating, it might be funny . . . Appearing on CNN this morning to discuss President Trump’s plan to cut funds to sanctuary cities, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio implied that the city will not cooperate in the deportation of thieves who don’t use violence because they might be the “breadwinners” of their families.

Message to the mayor: thieves aren’t bread “winners.” They are bread stealers. They’re taking bread from the mouths of children whose family earned it legally. In this theater of the absurd, de Blasio held up a list of crimes for which NYC would cooperate with immigration authorities. And non-violent theft is apparently not on the list.

CNN’s Alisyn Camerota asked whether theft would trigger city cooperation with immigration authorities. De Blasio answered that it would in cases of violent theft, mentioning the use of a weapon. Camerota pressed: what about simple theft? De Blasio dodged, moving on to crimes like minor pot possession and running a red light, for which he doesn’t want to break up families. He went on to say it would not be “moral” to deport people for “very low-level” crimes, which apparently includes theft, since such people might be their families “breadwinner.”

Note: I haven’t been able to locate the list, but this article mentions that among the crimes on it are patronizing a prostitute. So theft, which by definition is non-consensual, is not on the list. But the john who conducts a consensual arrangement with the prostitute can be deported. How PC. And why the john and not the prostitute? By that logic, we would deport people who buy drugs, but not the pushers.

ALISYN CAMEROTA: But there are some sanctuary cities, and maybe New York City is one of them, that says that they will not work with ICE agents even for people in jails. Even for people suspected of being undocumented immigrants in their jails. Why not hand over the people who have committed these crimes to ICE agents? BILL DE BLASIO: Another misunderstanding about so-called sanctuary cities. Here’s a list right heree of 170 offenses that if someone is undocumented, they commit this offense, we will work with ICE and they will be deported. CAMEROTA: But are those low-level offenses or high-level offenses? DE BLASIO: No. These are serious crimes, these are serious crimes, violent crimes. Even possession of a weapon, for example, of any kind. 170 offenses that if an undocumented person commits, that triggers by New York City law, cooperation with ICE for deportation. CAMEROTA: How about theft? DE BLASIO: Well here’s an example. Theft, violent, any theft involving a weapon, for example — CAMEROTA: Not violent. Just a regular, low-level crime. DE BLASIO: There are very low-level crimes, for example, small amounts of marijuana possession. Going through a stoplight that doesn’t cause any damage to anyone, those are areas where we will not work to see someone deported. Why? Because these are members of a family in our community, say it’s the breadwinner in that family. So you deport the breadwinner and the rest of the family, including the children, are left without anyone. You tear a family apart. That’s not good government. That’s not in my view moral.



