Bill de Blasio: Mass Deportations Are Just Not American

CABRERA: “That’s the reason for sanctuary city policies. For example, when you were mayor, during the first Trump Administration, you mentioned opposing some of these controversial moves like the Muslim travel ban —”
De Blasio: “Correct.”
CABRERA: “— for example. But what do you tell or what should Democrats do who are now facing threat of arrest or even prosecution for impeding enforcement of these new immigration policies?”
De Blasio: “Look, I think we have to have faith that our system continues to function. I saw the bluster of some of those executive orders the other day, some of which are clearly unconstitutional. I’m not belittling the fact that the president will get some of the things done he wants. But in the end, the court system will decide a lot of this. If the track record of the last 4 years when he was president is any indication, he’s going to lose a fair amount of time. He’s clearly going to lose on birthright citizenship, in my view. So states and localities saying, ‘Hey, guess what? We are given the power by the Constitution to govern our own folks. And we’re making decisions about public safety.’ This is something I think needs to be talked about more. Not asking documentation status is actually how you protect public safety. Now, look, if someone commits a crime, God forbid, an undocumented person commits a crime, there’s due process. If they’re guilty, they should be out of here. That’s what New York City law says. I think Americans believe in due process. That’s another point here. I think Trump often likes to leave out that step and say, ‘If you’re accused, therefore you’re guilty.’ Well, that goes against American values for 250 years. We’ve always believed in due process. I think we have to go back to the fact that he was vulnerable many times in his first term. He’s going to be vulnerable again in the court system and in the court of public opinion.”
CABRERA: “Well, speaking of the court of public opinion, he ran on these hardline immigration policies.”
De Blasio: “Yeah.”
CABRERA: “He won. And there is recent polling that shows the majority of Americans agree with some of the broader overall approach to this, like the deportation issue specifically. Now, on some of the certain aspects of immigration, maybe unpopular, like ICE, being able to carry out deportations at churches —”
De Blasio: “Right.”
CABRERA: “— or schools or hospitals, there is disapproval on that one. You’ll recall during the first Trump term, there was public backlash for some of the more extreme immigration policies —”
De Blasio: “Yeah.”
CABRERA: “— family separations. But what if that public backlash doesn’t materialize this time? Then what do Democrats do?”
De Blasio: “I think it did materialize for organic reasons. So I hear your question, but I want to note that, for example, the — the unaccompanied minors. And I went to Tornillo, Texas, and saw one of those detention facilities for those kids. Americans were outraged. It doesn’t fit our values, to see families separated under any circumstance. Americans believe in due process. Americans do not like the notion of the knock at the door and government authorities taking people away. So I think what’s happened is the frustration that people felt about their economic reality or the frustration they felt about the disorder at the border — which was real, that was honest frustration — that’s going to be quickly replaced, I believe, by people saying, ‘Wait a minute. We never signed up for actual mass deportation and — and something that looks like a police state.’ That’s just not American. Americans have a very strong libertarian streak, left, right, center. So I think what’s happening is in the first days, it sounds great. We’re going to get rid of folks who committed crimes who wouldn’t want to get rid of someone who actually committed a crime, of course. But it’s going to devolve into something much more tangled and that will push a lot of buttons and make people feel more and more uncomfortable. Last time Trump did not hear that at all. When people started to object, including folks who even agreed with him in some ways, but they thought it was inhumane, they thought it was anti-family values. When faith leaders started to object, he had a tenure for all of that. It’s only going to be worse this time.”