Mayor Bill De Blasio of New York City was on the “State of the Union” show on CNN, according to the Washington Free Beacon, when Jake Tapper questioned him about New York’s status as a sanctuary city. The way the law is worded is that an illegal alien is charged with a “serious or violent crime” then New York will cooperate with federal officials. Apparently, drunk driving is not considered a serious offense if it does “not lead to any other negative outcome.” Presumably, the “negative outcome” means death or injury.
New York State law sets out the penalties from driving while intoxicated (.08 blood alcohol content) or driving while impaired with a drug as a fine between $500 and $1000, a jail term of up to a year, and revoking or suspension of one's driver’s license for at least six months.
An aggravated DWI (.18 blood alcohol content) will fetch one a $1000 to $2500 fine, up to a year in jail, and at least a year’s suspension of one’s license. The CDC reports that 3,752 New Yorkers died in crashes involving drunk driving between 2003 and 2012.
The reader can judge if the state of New York considers a DWI or an aggravated DWI a serious offense?
De Blasio is one of the big city mayors who have offered defiance to the federal government over shielding illegal aliens from deportation, in effect making New York a “sanctuary city.” His city’s sanctuary law attempts to skirt the kinds of scandals that have afflicted other communities where illegal aliens who have committed – for example – murder were not deported as a result of their offenses (aside from the offense of being inside the country illegally, to begin with.)
New York’s sanctuary city law has achieved special relevance due to President Donald Trump’s impending crackdown on illegal immigration. The president proposes to cut off federal funding to local and state governments who refuse to cooperate with federal authorities and shield suspected criminals that have been arrested. The distinction between “serious” and “not serious” offenses ought to be a matter of debate, particularly when driving while intoxicated is concerned.
